AI-generated videos spread false Taiwan government subsidy claims
AI-generated videos spread false claims that the Taiwan government would distribute 12,000 New Taiwan dollars in elderly subsidies during the 2026 Lunar New Year. The Taiwan Fact-Check Center verified the claims were fabricated and no such unified national subsidy programme exists.
What happened
Multiple AI-generated videos claiming the Taiwan government would distribute 12,000 New Taiwan dollars in elderly welfare subsidies during the 2026 Lunar New Year spread across social media and YouTube channels.
The videos described the funds as composed of three components: spring festival condolence payments, annual inflation-linked subsidies, and winter supplements, using official-sounding names to mislead viewers.
Reported impact
The Taiwan Fact-Check Center confirmed the claims were false and no such government subsidy programme existed, either at national or local level.
While some local governments do offer spring festival gift money, the amounts and eligibility criteria vary by county, with no unified national programme matching the videos' descriptions.
Index analysis
The videos displayed obvious AI synthesis characteristics and were nearly identical despite circulating on multiple YouTube channels.
The fact-check centre warned the public to verify social welfare information through official local government websites rather than trusting online videos.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.