French government withdraws AI-generated video on WWII Resistance over historical errors
The French government published an AI-generated video on 27 May 2025 to celebrate National Resistance Day, but the system produced a historical error by depicting a German soldier celebrating Paris's liberation in 1944. The government removed the video after public criticism and subsequently commissioned a historian-verified version.
What happened
On 27 May 2025, the French government's Service d'Information du Gouvernement (SIG) published a 30-second AI-generated video on Instagram and TikTok for National Resistance Day, depicting a woman resistance fighter during World War II distributing clandestine newspapers and being captured by German forces.
The video contained a significant historical inaccuracy in its final scene: when showing the celebration of Paris's liberation in 1944, a soldier wearing a German helmet appeared among the smiling resistance fighters, falsely depicting a German soldier celebrating the liberation.
Reported impact
The video sparked widespread criticism from internet users who condemned both the use of AI and the historical falsification, with comments describing it as a 'scandal,' 'absolute shame,' and 'disrespectful to those who were resistance fighters.' The government removed the video from both platforms.
Index analysis
The AI system generated an image that contradicted historical reality by placing a German soldier in a scene of French liberation, a fundamental error in depicting WWII history. The video was reportedly inspired by the testimony of resistance fighter Madeleine Riffaud.
Governance controls
According to reporting, the SIG later explained it had intended to create content based on the testimony of a resistance fighter, but the AI generation process produced an output containing historical inaccuracies. A new version was subsequently verified by historians before being published.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
This record was researched and written by the Index from original reporting. Its sources are still being verified by an editor, and they are listed here once that check is complete. Until then the record carries no reviewer.