Artificial intelligence‑generated videos have circulated on Chinese social media platforms following Typhoon Noul, raising concerns about misinformation during disaster response. The storm made landfall over the weekend, causing flooding and prompting evacuations in several provinces. Over the past months, similar weather events have led to widespread sharing of fabricated images.

In Hengzhou, Guangxi, flooding in early July caused hundreds of snakes to escape from a breeding farm, and false images of crocodiles being released into a river were also posted. Other videos depicted dead bodies floating in floodwaters or claimed power outages, leading some residents to purchase emergency supplies.

Huang Zhihua, deputy chief of online public security for the Zhejiang Police Department, told Chinese state media that many creators fabricate disaster content to attract followers and views. Professor Chen Bin of the Communist Party’s Central Party School said AI lowers technical barriers, allowing individuals to generate realistic text, images, audio and video without specialized skills. Professor Gao Fuping of the East China University of Political Science and Law told the BBC that motivations include amusement, personal gain or attempts to cause panic.

Authorities have responded with enforcement actions. Police have arrested creators and imposed fines ranging from administrative penalties to criminal prosecution. A specialized task force monitors short‑video platforms and will handle cases quickly, with punishments up to seven years in prison for serious offenses. On 23 July, the Cyberspace Administration announced a nationwide crackdown on fake disaster content, directing local offices to target fabricated data, staged scenes and impersonation of officials, and urging platforms to strengthen content review.

Gao Kai of the Ningbo Public Security Bureau urged the public to rely on official announcements and said authorities will continue to pursue illegal online activity. Experts note that detection technology lags behind generation capabilities, and that verification of location, timestamp and source is required. While the government is investing heavily in AI to become a leading tech superpower, analysts call for a trusted information infrastructure and greater public education to counter the rising risk of AI‑generated misinformation.