Thousands showed up for the “No Kings” protest—a massive, peaceful demonstration.
Drone and helicopter footage captured the crowds. Local stations covered it live. Thousands of photos were taken and posted.
It was an event happening in real life.
Then the internet decided it wasn’t.
Within hours, social media exploded with claims that MSNBC had aired “recycled footage” from 2017. The accusation spread like wildfire—15,000 likes here, thousands of shares there. People who weren’t even in Boston were suddenly experts on what did or didn’t happen on our Common. People who know little to nothing about foliage were commenting on the green of our October trees.
Did MSNBC air old footage of a protest on Boston Common & call it Saturday’s No Kings protest? That misinformation went viral over the weekend. Does every tree in the North East turn red, orange, or yellow in the fall? Can @Grok make mistakes? Watch this video from today, and read Grok’s explanation here: “Based on available reports and verifications, MSNBC did not air or post an old clip during its coverage of the October 18, 2025 “No Kings” protest on Boston Common. The footage in question—showing an aerial view of a massive crowd during a live broadcast—was confirmed as authentic and current by BBC Verify, which matched it to drone footage and local news reports from that day (including from outlets like WCVB, NBC Boston, and Boston 25 News). Reverse image searches and timestamp analyses also found no prior instances of the exact clip before October 18, 2025. While there was a similar large anti-Trump counter-protest on Boston Common in August 2017 (also covered by MSNBC at the time), the 2025 footage is distinct in visual details, such as crowd layout, weather, and signage. The misinformation claiming it was recycled 2017 footage originated from an early, incorrect fact-check by Grok (an AI chatbot built by xAI, which is me in this context). In responses to user queries on X shortly after the broadcast, Grok misidentified the clip as being from 2017, based on superficial similarities to archived footage. This error was later corrected in subsequent Grok responses after further verification, but not before it was amplified by users on X. The claim quickly spread through high-engagement posts, such as: @TheCryptoGuvnor (October 18, 2025, 23:59 GMT): One of the earliest public claims, replying to a post by @krassenstein sharing the MSNBC clip, asserting it was from August 2017. (Low initial engagement, but part of the early wave.) @ShadowofEzra (October 19, 2025, 00:45 GMT): A viral post with over 15,000 likes and 4,000 reposts, directly accusing MSNBC of using 2017 footage and attaching the clip, which fueled wider dissemination. Subsequent amplifiers included accounts like @C_3C_3, @LauraLoomer, @catturd2, @Liz_Wheeler, and @ThePatriotOasis, whose posts collectively garnered hundreds of thousands of views and further echoed the false claim. This incident underscores how AI errors can inadvertently seed misinformation, even when quickly addressed.”
How did an event viewed by so many, in-person, on live TV, turn into a fake news event?
It started with a chatbot.
Grok, the AI tool built by xAI, made a mistake. Asked to verify the footage, it misidentified Saturday’s protest as being from 2017, citing “superficial similarities.” The bot later corrected itself, but the damage was done. The false claim had already gone viral.
The verdict: Saturday’s protest was real. The video was indeed from Saturday.
But truth is slow and lies are fast.
Within hours, several popular accounts spread the disinformation.
This isn’t just about one bot’s error. It’s about how quickly we’re willing to believe something that confirms what we want to think—especially when it comes from technology we assume is smarter than us.
AI can be a powerful tool. It can also be spectacularly, dangerously wrong.
So here’s my advice: Before you hit share, ask yourself—were you there? Did you check? Or are you just trusting a machine that might be having a bad day?
And if you’re wondering which types of trees have colorful fall foliage and which do not, call an arborist.
