AI-generated images of Hurricane Milton damage at Disney World spread online

Florida officials warned residents to stay inside due to potentially deadly flash floods caused by Hurricane Milton, which made landfall in the US state on October 9, 2024. However, online images supposedly showing the Walt Disney World Resort underwater appear to have been fabricated using artificial intelligence, and the company said its park "weathered the storm."

"It is reported that Disneyland has been flooded due to Hurricane Milton," said an October 10, 2024 X post from former Ukrainian deputy interior minister Anton Gerashchenko.

The post, which has since been removed, included three purported images of Disney's Florida park partially submerged in water overnight, including its iconic Cinderella Castle.

<span>Screenshot from X taken October 10, 2024</span>
Screenshot from X taken October 10, 2024

The same images have circulated elsewhere on X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok and news websites -- including in Spanish, German, Russian, Malayalam, Armenian and Korean.

Many posts credit the Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti, which re-shared them on its official Telegram channel, garnering hundreds of thousands of views.

At least ten people have died since Hurricane Milton hit the Florida Gulf Coast, leaving communities cut off from rescue workers and streets submerged. Governor Ron DeSantis said the state avoided the "worst-case scenario," but officials warned residents not already evacuated to stay home.

Milton has since moved into the Atlantic Ocean, although some high winds and heavy rains have persisted off the coast.

<span>Map showing the forecast trajectory of Hurricane Milton across the Gulf of Mexico to Florida in the United States, according to the US National Hurricane Center as of October 10 at 0600 GMT</span><div><span>Jean-Michel CORNU</span><span>Lise KIENNEMANN</span><span>Thierno TOURE</span><span>Sylvie HUSSON</span><span>AFP</span></div>
Map showing the forecast trajectory of Hurricane Milton across the Gulf of Mexico to Florida in the United States, according to the US National Hurricane Center as of October 10 at 0600 GMT
Jean-Michel CORNULise KIENNEMANNThierno TOURESylvie HUSSONAFP

Disney closed its Orlando park October 10 due to harsh rain and wind, but the company says on its website that the resort "weathered the storm" and its theme parks will reopen October 11 (archived here).

AFP contacted The Walt Disney Company for further comment, but no response was forthcoming.

Hany Farid, a digital forensics expert at the University of California-Berkeley (archived here), said all three images shared online were likely AI-generated.

"There are tell-tale and obvious structural defects in all images including inconsistent reflections in the water," he said in an October 10 email.

"In addition, our models trained to distinguish real from AI-generated images flag these images as likely AI-generated."

There are some clear differences between the pictures shared online and authentic photos of Cinderella Castle, such as the placement and number of spires, structural details and the type of streetlamps.

<span>Screenshot from X taken October 10, 2024</span>
Screenshot from X taken October 10, 2024
<span>As Cinderella Castle stands lit in the early morning, a member of the custodial crew shines the Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse statue within Magic Kingdom at Disney World in Orlando, Florida on April 11, 2008 </span><div><span>JIM WATSON</span><span>AFP</span></div>
As Cinderella Castle stands lit in the early morning, a member of the custodial crew shines the Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse statue within Magic Kingdom at Disney World in Orlando, Florida on April 11, 2008
JIM WATSONAFP

The Orlando Sentinel reported some areas of the city experienced flooding, but officials in neighboring Kissimmee said there was "minimal damage."

The US National Weather Service placed Orlando under a flood watch at 1157 GMT on October 10, but the agency had lifted it as of 1800 GMT.

AFP has debunked other claims about Hurricane Milton here.