Interview From 1990 GMA Broadcast Falsely Claimed to Mention Marcos is AI-Generated

Philippine social media has been abuzz with a supposedly prophetic video from the 1990s that appears to show a schoolboy predicting Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s presidency and its consequences for the Filipino people. The clip, which has gone viral across TikTok, is entirely fabricated.

The video, which bears the GMA Network logo, depicts what looks like a television interview where a reporter sits across from a young boy in front of a live audience. When asked about his vision for the Philippines in 2025, the child allegedly responds in Filipino, “Marcos’ son will be president and the people will suffer again.” The audience is then shown reacting with shock.

Multiple TikTok accounts, including justforlaugh126 and _jhayarlosabio, have shared the clip, collectively garnering tens of thousands of likes and hundreds of comments. The former account’s post alone has attracted more than 39,000 likes and 733 comments, indicating widespread engagement with the content.

Upon closer examination, however, digital forensics reveals the video to be AI-generated. Hive Moderation, a content analysis system, identified the clip as likely containing deepfake elements. More tellingly, a faint but distinguishable Sora AI logo is visible in the center-right portion of the screen.

Sora AI is OpenAI’s text-to-video generation tool that can create realistic-looking footage from simple text prompts. The company, better known for developing ChatGPT, has created technology capable of producing increasingly convincing fake videos that can be difficult for casual viewers to identify as artificial.

A reverse image search conducted by fact-checkers failed to produce any evidence that either the interviewer or the schoolboy actually exist, or that GMA Network ever broadcasted such content. The presence of garbled Japanese subtitles at the bottom of the screen adds another suspicious element to the fabricated footage.

This video emerges amid growing concerns about the proliferation of AI-generated political content on social media platforms. The Philippines, with its highly engaged online population and complex political landscape, has become particularly fertile ground for such manipulated media.

This isn’t the first instance of AI-generated videos targeting Philippine politicians. Rappler, a Philippine news organization, has previously debunked similar fabricated content designed to either support or criticize political figures in the country.

The timing of the fake video is particularly notable as it circulates during ongoing debates about the Marcos administration’s policies and their impact on ordinary Filipinos. By presenting the content as a decades-old prophecy that has come true, creators likely aim to lend artificial credibility to contemporary criticisms of the administration.

Social media platforms continue to struggle with effectively moderating such convincingly manipulated content, which can spread rapidly and be accepted as authentic by users who aren’t aware of the increasing sophistication of AI video generation tools.

Digital literacy advocates emphasize the importance of verifying sources and examining media critically, especially when content makes extraordinary claims or seems designed to provoke strong emotional reactions. As AI technology continues to advance, distinguishing between authentic and fabricated media will become an increasingly essential skill for information consumers worldwide.