Ready or not, AI is here — and the ability to tell what is real and what is fake becomes more difficult every day. Azza Cohen breaks down the power of Sora AI, one of the newest AI platforms, in her latest video report for The Contrarian.
In the past week, an AI video circulated that allegedly portrays a food stamp, or SNAP, recipient claiming to sell her benefits. Even Fox News fell for the video, using it in their reporting on SNAP. But it is not real—it’s generated by an app called Sora that creates realistic videos from text prompts.
The app is seemingly innocuous, advertised to create fun videos, like transforming your friend into a cat.
But like all things internet, Sora has quickly devolved into a sexist, racist trash heap.
In this video in particular, we see the fever dream of Ronald Reagan who popularized the racist, dog whistle “welfare queens.”
It is unsurprising that many of these fake AI videos feature Black women as SNAP recipients, furthering a nasty and debunked stereotype about the types of people who receive government aid.
It’s not shocking that platforms like X won’t monitor fake news like this, so it’s up to us, the viewers, to stay skeptical, vigilant, and informed.
Don’t fall for it. The real scammers aren’t parents trying to feed their kids – it’s our “leaders” in Congress who shut down the government and the scammers creating this sexist and racist content.
Are you seeing other fake videos about SNAP? How many of them feature women, and Black women in particular? Let us know in the comments. And if you know of any great food banks in your community please post in the comments, too!
Azza Cohen was the White House videographer for Vice President Kamala Harris and she breaks down the visuals of power for The Contrarian.
