TOKYO, Nov 11 (Kyodo/APP): Bear attacks in Japan have not only given rise to fatalities but also a wide range of social problems, such as the spread of fake AI-generated images online and disruptions to essential services such as postal deliveries.
Amid heightened public anxiety, fake video clips depicting aggressive bears are rapidly spreading on TikTok, YouTube and other social media platforms.
Among the images are a horde of bears destroying solar panels at a megasolar facility and a bear snatching a pet dog. Experts say it is fairly obvious that the clips are fake but people could be taken in when they are among a flood of short videos.
Some of the videos analyzed by Japan Fact-Check Center, a nonprofit organization aimed at enhancing media literacy, contain visible watermarks of artificial intelligence Sora developed by OpenAI.
“Along with increasing news reports of the damage caused by bear attacks, the number of fake bear videos have also increased,” said Daisuke Furuta, chief editor at the fact-check organization, calling on the public to be aware of the risk of deception.
The number of deaths from bear attacks since this April totaled a record 13 as of Wednesday, while attacks on more than 100 people were reported by September, according to government data.
Considering the disturbing trend, Japan Post Co. decided last Wednesday that postal collection and deliveries could be suspended to secure the safety of employees. The following day, it halted such services in a part of Akita Prefecture, where frequent bear sightings and attacks have been reported.
NTT East Inc., which provides telecommunication services in eastern Japan, will review its protocol so that its workers can protect themselves effectively when they enter mountainous regions for the maintenance and repair of communication facilities.
Logistics firm Yamato Transport Co., which has formulated in-house guidelines on bear encounters, is also mulling suspending the collection and delivery of parcels when the risk of a bear attack is heightened.