AI Risks: Misinformation and Scams Flourish During Government Shutdown

As AI-generated content becomes increasingly sophisticated, Birmingham residents report encountering deceptive videos on a daily basis while scrolling through social media, raising concerns about misinformation during the ongoing government shutdown.

“They’ve been getting consistently more realistic as months have gone by,” said local resident Jasper Franklin, who, along with fellow Birmingham resident Adam Kitchens, finds himself regularly questioning the authenticity of online videos.

Kitchens noted the frequency of these encounters: “There’s a couple that I see every week that I have to do some research on to see if it’s AI or not.” He expressed particular concern about how such content can distort public perception, adding, “It changes people’s perspective on some really important issues.”

The current government shutdown has exacerbated the problem, with shutdown-related AI-generated videos proliferating across social media platforms. This timing is particularly concerning to cybersecurity experts and consumer protection advocates.

Dr. Shuya Feng, an AI and cybersecurity expert at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), has been studying the fundamental challenges of AI security and privacy. According to Feng, while artificial intelligence offers numerous benefits, its misuse poses significant risks to information integrity.

“AI is becoming a widely used tool for people to generate this stuff,” Feng explained. He offered some guidance on identifying AI-generated content: “If we don’t have the natural light, and we don’t have that kind of texture, natural texture, then it’s probably generated by AI.”

Feng also pointed to video-specific tells: “Regarding the video, sometimes the photo itself doesn’t line up well with the audio and the people in this video, they don’t blink natural like a human being.”

Despite these indicators, distinguishing between authentic and fabricated content remains challenging for many users, creating opportunities for scammers to exploit public confusion.

Carl Bates, President of the Birmingham Better Business Bureau (BBB), warned that these sophisticated AI tools have given scammers an advantage, particularly during the government shutdown.

“With the government being shut down, the scammers know that you’re unlikely to be able to reach anybody at a lot of these agencies,” Bates cautioned. This creates a perfect storm: convincing AI-generated content combined with limited access to official verification channels.

Bates emphasized the importance of skepticism when encountering potential scams. “Unless there’s a law enforcement officer standing at your door or you get a letter in the mail from one of these agencies, it is 99 percent not true,” he advised. He encouraged residents to utilize the BBB’s resources: “They can call us or go on our website. We’ve got a ton of information about what agencies are open and what’s not.”

The threat is not merely theoretical. Bates revealed that the BBB is currently investigating an AI-related scam targeting their own department, highlighting how no organization is immune to these sophisticated deception tactics.

The proliferation of AI-generated content represents a significant evolution in digital misinformation. Unlike earlier forms of fake news that might have been easier to identify through poor grammar or obviously manipulated images, today’s AI tools can create highly convincing videos that mimic real people and scenarios with remarkable accuracy.

This technological advancement comes at a particularly vulnerable time for many Americans. During government shutdowns, when official information channels may be limited and public anxiety is heightened, misinformation can spread rapidly and cause unnecessary confusion or financial harm.

The BBB encourages residents to report suspected scams through their website and to verify information through official channels whenever possible. As AI technology continues to advance, digital literacy and critical evaluation of online content become increasingly essential skills for navigating the modern information landscape.