Fact Check: Was Paris' iconic Eiffel Tower on fire?

Viral images and videos showing the Eiffel Tower, Paris’ iconic landmark, engulfed in flames have been circulating on various social media platforms.  

The footage was posted on the video-sharing platform TikTok last week, and since then it has received 4.7 million likes and has been widely shared online.

This is true, the Eiffel Tower is on fire pic.twitter.com/UHRdj6401q

— they (@nguyenthey) January 18, 2024

These viral images and videos are now being shared on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. While many users realised that the images were obviously fake, thousands did not, with people using the hashtag ‘pray for Paris’ in response.

However, the TikTok video was generated by using AI-generated imagery, creating the illusion of a fire on the landmark. There is also no report of the fire listed on the police website in Paris.

Furthermore, notable public figures, including the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, the Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, and the President, Emmanuel Macron, have not issued any statements regarding the alleged incident, adding to the credibility of the information refuting the rumors.

Photos shared on the official social media channels depict the tower covered in snow.  Therefore, it’s safe to say these claims are entirely false and the Eiffel Tower remains undamaged.

The use of Al has been a major concern, especially after the Eiffel Tower Video. A similar concern was raised with the use of deepfakes.

“WAIT. We were all freaking out over Al earlier bc of Taylor but there’s extremely realistic photos of the Eiffel Tower on fire on TikTok in and like… you cannot tell that they’re fake. AI IS A BIG PROBLEM,” stated one such user on Twitter.