Photos of Hollywood signal on fireplace are AI

Southern California is battling a sequence of wildfires which have scorched over 29,000 acres, claimed a minimum of 5 lives, and destroyed greater than 2,000 constructions.

One of many fires is burning within the Hollywood Hills close to the Hollywood Bowl. With information of that fireside, photographs and movies circulated on-line that seem to indicate the long-lasting Hollywood signal engulfed in flames.

Many have questioned the authenticity of those photographs, and other people on the Hollywood signal’s Fb web page are asking if the landmark is on fireplace.

Are the photographs of the Hollywood signal on fireplace actual?

No, the photographs of the Hollywood signal on fireplace aren’t actual.

The photographs on-line exhibiting the Hollywood signal on fireplace are faux and had been doubtless generated utilizing synthetic intelligence. As of Jan. 9, the hearth had not reached Griffith Park, the place the Hollywood signal is positioned.

“Griffith Park is quickly closed as a security precaution, however the signal itself isn’t affected and is safe,” Jeff Zarrinnam, chair of the Hollywood Signal Belief, informed VERIFY.

In line with CalFire’s incident maps, the Sundown Fireplace, which started on Jan. 8, is the closest wildfire to Griffith Park. The maps affirm the hearth didn’t attain the park. The fireplace burned 42.8 acres earlier than ahead progress was halted, Los Angeles Fireplace Division Capt. Erik Scott stated.

VERIFY analyzed the photographs of the burning Hollywood signal circulating on-line and located there are inconsistencies that counsel they had been AI-generated, together with irregular spacing between the letters and discrepancies within the variety of brackets supporting the Hollywood signal. The precise letters additionally don’t look like burning, regardless of the flames surrounding them. This picture additionally has a watermark within the decrease right-hand nook for Grok, which is X’s AI creation device.