PolitiFact Confirms Palm Beach Crash Video Is Real, Debunking 100% AI Claim
Updated
Updated · PBS NewsHour · Nov 2
PolitiFact Confirms Palm Beach Crash Video Is Real, Debunking 100% AI Claim
3 articles · Updated · PBS NewsHour · Nov 2
Summary
Nov. 1 dashcam footage of a Learjet 60 plunging into a Palm Beach County neighborhood is authentic, PolitiFact said, rejecting X posts that claimed the clip was “100%” AI-generated.
AP, CNN, CBS and the BBC all carried the video, and PolitiFact traced it to West Palm Beach creator Aki Kuusisto, who first posted the dashcam clip on Facebook.
Hive Moderation screen recordings were used online to suggest manipulation, but PolitiFact said the tool did not flag Kuusisto’s footage when it tested the clip itself.
12:51 p.m. ET is when the jet, flying from Austin to the Bahamas, crashed near Cresthaven; everyone aboard died, and NTSB officials said turbulence and ice were encountered before the impact.
Clemson expert Darren Linvill said the backlash reflects a “liar’s dividend” — growing distrust of AI that leads people to dismiss real footage as fake.