AI-generated fake videos of Louvre heist circulated online
Following a daytime jewel heist at the Louvre museum in Paris on October 19, 2025, multiple AI-generated videos falsely depicting the theft circulated widely on social media platforms. The fake videos, generated using OpenAI's Sora 2 video generation tool, were identified by digital forensics experts through analysis of artifacts including morphed hands, disappearing objects, and partially obscured Sora watermarks.
What happened
Following a daytime heist of jewels from the Louvre museum in Paris on October 19, multiple videos surfaced on social media claiming to show CCTV footage of the theft. The videos depicted masked individuals breaking into the museum and stealing jewellery through different methods, but all were generated using Sora 2, OpenAI's AI video generator.
A Facebook reel with the fake videos was posted by a Hong Kong-based user with more than 240,000 followers and circulated widely on platforms including Douyin and RedNote. Digital forensics experts confirmed the videos were AI-generated, identifying artifacts such as morphed hands, disappearing objects, and partially obscured Sora watermarks.
Reported impact
The circulation of AI-generated videos falsely depicting the heist spread misinformation about the robbery to large audiences across social media platforms.
Index analysis
AI Forensics, a European nonprofit organisation investigating digital manipulation, identified a 'strong indication' that both videos were AI-generated. Researcher Natalia Stanusch noted that in both cases objects disappeared and appeared in the hands of the AI-generated thieves, while their hands morphed and fingers disappeared.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.