Fox News is experiencing backlash after publishing a story featuring what appeared to be real SNAP beneficiaries, but the videos were generated by artificial intelligence. The article, posted Friday, was originally titled “SNAP beneficiaries threaten to ransack stores over government shutdown.”
It included videos of women discussing food assistance benefits, but viewers quickly noticed signs that the clips weren’t real. The story, written by production assistant Alba Cuebas-Fantauzzi, used quotes like:
“’It is the taxpayer’s responsibility to take care of my kids,’ one emotional mother said in a video posted online.”
However, those “mothers” were AI, and not actual people.
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Users and journalists on X call out the mistake
People like “The Bulwark Podcast” host Tim Miller began exposing the story after users who called Fox News out prompted the company to issue changes.
Fox News changed the headline and added an editor’s note admitting the videos were AI-generated. Still, the story remained live as of Monday.
One user on X wrote, “This is a viral string of AI videos and Fox News reported on it like it’s a real person?!”
The updated version does not include an apology, and Fox has not responded publicly to the criticism.
Signs the videos were fake
There were several telltale signs the videos weren’t authentic. In one clip, a woman appears to yell at a cashier, “I ain’t paying for none of this sh–, I got babies at home that gotta eat.”
A closer look reveals visual distortions in the footage, showing it was created with AI.
Taking a look at the shirt worn by the mother yelling at the cashier, it appears to say “Born to be…” followed by gibberish. AI-generated visuals often include blurred text or warped letters, which don’t form recognizable words.
Even with some of these artifacts and others that TikTok labeled “contains AI-generated media” and tagged with “#AI,” the story’s framing treated them as authentic social media reactions.
AI creator breaks down what happened
Jeremy Carrasco, a creator who covers AI in media, posted a TikTok video on Oct. 25 explaining how these clips were made. He revealed that the now-deleted TikTok account used Sora 2, an AI video tool, to create videos of Black women yelling about EBT card issues.
Carrasco said the goal was to produce “rage bait,” a term describing social media content designed to make people angry. Many users didn’t realize the warped faces and background artifacts because the videos were meant for rage bait.
Social media calls it racialized ‘rage bait’
The backlash also focused on how the AI clips targeted Black women.
One user on X wrote, “They’re using AI to make videos of Black women yelling about their EBT cards on TikTok. They were always going to come after us first with AI, that’s why it’s f— AI and I need you all to stop using it for real.”
Critics argue that Fox’s decision to highlight these clips without verifying their authenticity perpetuates racist and classist stereotypes.
Some, like Carrasco, say this controversy underscores the urgent need for AI literacy, which is the ability to recognize and verify synthetic content.
Even though the original TikTok videos were labeled “contains AI-generated media” and tagged with “#AI,” the story’s framing treated them as authentic social media reactions.
