Man Faces Prison for AI-Generated Wolf Photo

Kathmandu. In South Korea, a 40-year-old man faces five years in prison and a fine of approximately $6,700 for posting a fake picture of a wolf created using AI on social media.

The incident occurred in Daejeon. A wolf named Nukgu escaped from the zoo here and caused panic throughout the city. At the same time, a photo claiming a wolf was seen on the city streets went viral on social media. But it was confirmed that the photo was fake, created by AI.

According to officials, that single AI-generated image delayed the wolf capture operation by about 9 days. Because of this, police and firefighters were deployed in the wrong direction for a long time.

As the situation worsened, local authorities closed schools and deployed emergency teams. Only later was it discovered that the photo was fake. But by then, significant resources and time had been spent.

Eventually, the police team found the wolf in the outskirts of the city. Officials say that if the fake photo had not created confusion, it could have been caught sooner.

The person who created the photo has admitted to doing it as a joke. However, strict legal action has been initiated against him, citing that the misuse of digital content has affected a real emergency situation.