SVT production behind fake animal clips: "Stress test"

A person who calls himself "Gustav" contacted the local SVT newsrooms in Skåne, Örebro, Västerbotten, Öst, Sörmland, Västmanland and Gävleborg to tip off animals caught on film. Several newsrooms grabbed and interviewed "Gustav" about the animals.

Deepfakes were published

The video clips showed, among other things, a lynx in a garden outside Ystad, a wolverine in a cemetery in Gävle and an otter in Västerås. But the clips of the animals were AI-manipulated and the interview with "Gustav" was a deep fake.

While some newsrooms became suspicious and chose not to publish, the newsrooms in Västmanland, Gävleborg and Skåne fell for the scam.

- There is always a certain human factor when we do news and journalism. What we must do if something goes wrong is to quickly correct it, be open with what has happened and be transparent, and I feel that we were in this case, says Jessica Wennberg, program area manager Sweden, SVT.

SVT series behind the scam

The clip and the interviews with "Gustav" are part of a documentary series that is being recorded right now, where researcher and presenter Gustav Almqvist is doing "field experiments that stress test Swedish society".

- I check what preparedness we actually have to deal with the threats linked to AI. And yesterday I put my team to stress test SVT, he says.

Several media have reported on SVT's blunder. Despite the fact that the method risks damaging SVT's reputation, responsible publisher for the program Axel Björklund thinks that it is justified.

- It is clear that it will be a real stress test for SVT. Sometimes you need to test the routines. Are we equipped for this kind of potential and indeed real risk? says Axel Björklund, publisher responsible for the program.

In the clip, you see how the scam was seen through.