A wave of alarmingly realistic, AI-generated videos depicting bear attacks and encounters is spreading across Japanese social media, amplifying public anxiety during a year marked by a record number of actual, often fatal, incidents.
While authorities grapple with a genuine surge in bear sightings and attacks, online platforms are being flooded with fabricated clips. These videos show scenarios ranging from bears invading solar farms and snatching pets to news reports of local sightings and even individuals feeding the animals. Some depict people, including a schoolgirl, fighting off bears—a course of action experts warn is precisely the wrong and most dangerous response.
The concern is twofold. First, the sheer volume of this synthetic content risks blurring the line between fact and fiction, potentially exacerbating public fear. Second, and more critically, these videos could dangerously undermine official safety guidance. Content showing people feeding bears, for instance, directly contradicts repeated warnings to avoid carrying food in wooded areas, as it can cause bears to lose their natural fear of humans.
A recent analysis by a major Japanese newspaper found that approximately 60% of bear-related video content sampled on a popular platform was fake, often bearing the watermark of advanced AI video-generation tools. While some creators label their posts as fictional, the realism of others has prompted local officials in several prefectures to issue public denials, urging residents to rely only on information from official sources.
The backdrop to this digital phenomenon is a severe and tangible crisis. Environmental officials attribute the spike in bear activity to poor natural food crops, forcing the animals to venture farther from forests into towns and residential areas in search of sustenance. This year has seen a tragic milestone, with bear attacks claiming more lives than ever previously recorded, alongside thousands of reported sightings.
The real-world disruption is significant. In affected northern regions, postal services have been suspended in some areas, logistics companies are reviewing safety protocols for workers, and military personnel have been deployed to assist with containment efforts.
As media reports on the real attacks continue, the parallel explosion of AI-generated content capitalizes on public interest, creating a dual-layer crisis where distinguishing digital fantasy from physical threat becomes an additional challenge for a concerned public.