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AI 171: A plane crash in the age of GenAI, fake social media posts; experts stresses need for regular flow of official information
The captain's seat dislocated and slid backwards during take-off, triggering the crash of Air India flights AI 171; or the crash was triggered by inclement weather—these were two among many messages that were circulating in social media groups, including those of pilots—for weeks before the preliminary investigation report was released early Saturday. The messages were structured as preliminary investigation reports about the June 12 Ahmedabad crash and were most likely created using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) platforms to spread misinformation and peddle conspiracy theories. Then there were GenAI-created videos of the crash. They spread fast even within the aviation industry, although most had some basic giveaways like use of emojis and incorrect basic information about the accident.
For instance, in one such fake report, the sole survivor's seat number was wrong and the input of torrential rain during pushback was the complete opposite of the hot, bright, and sunny day in Ahmedabad on June 12. In the GenAI videos, the aircraft livery did not match that of Air India. Nevertheless, they fuelled rumour mills to such an extent that the Press Information Bureau had to publicly debunk some of these reports. And the menace was not just limited to India. With the world watching the crash investigation unfold, given that this was the first fatal accident involving Boeing's latest-generation wide-body aircraft—the 787 Dreamliner—even these fake reports and videos went global.
Meanwhile, official information on the investigation's progress has been scarce, leading to wild speculation on social media as well as news media in certain cases. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has so far held just one briefing on the accident—India's worst aviation disaster in four decades—where no questions were taken. Prior to the release of the official preliminary report, there were just a few press releases on the status of the probe, with no real information on the findings. Add to that government-friendly media outfits posting wrongly about the investigation report being submitted, only to be denied hours later in an off-record comment. All this, industry insiders and watchers believe, is helping fuel the rumour mills and only exacerbating the spread of misinformation and fake news in the age of social media and GenAI.
The preliminary report was also uploaded in the middle of the night on the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) website, with no media briefing on either Saturday or Sunday to address key questions about the probe so far. And while the AAIB and the government have kept the investigation airtight, clamping down official information flow, a few publications in the US managed to report the most significant aspect of the report—the focus on engine fuel control switches, leading to speculation in India's aviation circles that the American participants in the investigation were selectively leaking information back home. It is worth noting here that the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and American companies—plane maker Boeing and engine manufacturer GE—are assisting the AAIB-led probe into the crash.
Moreover, there are quite a few questions that remain unanswered in the report. For instance, it mentions just one paraphrased exchange between the pilots on whether one of them cut fuel supply to the engines. It is certain that the investigators now have the complete cockpit voice recording from the black boxes, but they chose just one brief exchange without even identifying which pilot said what; nothing before or after.
Some experts have even said that the preliminary report has raised more questions than it answers. To be sure, the report is more detailed than what many expected it to be. But it left a number of key questions unanswered, which again seems to be fueling various theories about the crash causes—from pilot action and even suicide to software or systems flaw—and has left experts scratching their heads. But there is no official word of clarification or elaboration.
The public at large, in India and overseas, is desperately looking for information about the crash, and in the age of social media and viral content, they are bound to be impatient as well. Although air crash investigations are long-drawn, complex, and painstaking exercises spread over months and at times even years, if official and legitimate information isn't shared in a timely manner and at regular intervals, the public at large can easily fall prey to unfounded theories and GenAI-created fake information. Few are well-versed with the aviation industry to tell fake from genuine information, and debunk wildly speculative hypotheses.
Aviation experts and commentators, in the country as well as overseas, have been critical of the way India has handled information flow so far in the investigation, particularly given the perils of fake news content in the age of social media. What helps in such an environment is regular communication through frequent public briefings, which is a norm in the West when major aviation accidents occur. Even reiterations of the protocols and status of the investigation into a major air crash and regular debunking of misinformation can go a long way.
'I have, throughout these last couple of weeks after the accident happened, pointed out that there is…an information vacuum out there, and it's been filled by nefarious actors, by either people who are wildly speculating without any kind of basis about the causes but maybe with good intentions, but also by these AI (artificial intelligence) generated interim reports…So, I am highly critical about the way that that the information flow has happened here,' said Petter Hörnfeldt, an airline pilot who runs well-regarded aviation education and information channels on YouTube, in a recent video about the AI 171 crash.
'These fake reports that are coming out and are being shared by professionals by the way, they're only going to get better and more and more believable as time goes by. There needs to be a shift now, I think, from the authorities point of view. And I know that this is shared by others in the industry as well. There needs to be a shift to more and quicker information sharing…Saying that you don't know something, it's also information. Going out and having a daily brief, basically, and saying that 'So far, we've found the black boxes, we're looking into them, we've sent them off to be read',' Hörnfeldt added.
But official information has been hard to come by, with the AAIB and India's civil aviation establishment being extremely tight-lipped. Pilots and experts are now calling for regular media briefings by the AAIB to provide official updates on the investigation and debunk unfounded speculation. Unless the country's aviation top brass pays heed, the cycle may continue. Will they?
Sukalp Sharma is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express and writes on a host of subjects and sectors, notably energy and aviation. He has over 13 years of experience in journalism with a body of work spanning areas like politics, development, equity markets, corporates, trade, and economic policy. He considers himself an above-average photographer, which goes well with his love for travel. ... Read More
Anil Sasi is National Business Editor with the Indian Express and writes on business and finance issues. He has worked with The Hindu Business Line and Business Standard and is an alumnus of Delhi University. ... Read More
