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Agence France-Presse

A Burkinabe teenager who used artificial intelligence to post fake news of a French coup on social media got more than he bargained for.
As well as millions of views and tens of thousands of “likes”, he also acquired a certain notoriety – and French President Emmanuel Macron, for one, was not amused.
And what he had planned as a moneymaking scheme netted him only €7 (US$8), he said. But he has no regrets.
“Coup d’etat in France,” declared the video posted by the 17-year-old, showing what appeared to be journalists reporting on an ongoing takeover by an unidentified colonel.
In one shot, the Eiffel Tower and the blue lights from a police car flash in the background. “Demonstrators have gathered to support the colonel who seems to have taken power yesterday,” reporters say.
It was all fake, of course: the product of his online training in the use of artificial intelligence.

Posted on December 9 on TikTok, then shortly afterwards on Facebook, the post went viral, garnering more than 12 million views and tens of thousands of “likes”.
Last Tuesday, when Macron was asked about the video during a visit to Marseille, he spoke of his frustration at not having been able to force Facebook to take it down.
They had told him that it did not violate their rules, he said.
In the end, it was the creator himself who deleted it, shortly after the French news media started contacting him.
He explained that he had got into creating AI-generated videos last year after finding a training course on YouTube. But he only really started producing in October.
He was taken aback by his sudden celebrity and that the French media were reporting on and even interviewing him.
He laughed about all the fuss in a video posted to his Facebook page.
Money-spinning idea
The teenager, who preferred to remain anonymous, was clear that his real aim had been to make money from advertising attached to his posts.
Not that he was living in poverty, he added. “I eat, I can get to school, my parents take good care of me, thank God.”
But he wanted more to gain “financial independence”, he said.
He had seen “loads of pages that get millions of views” and had heard that TikTok paid money to producers, so he jumped into social media to see what he could do.


After a bit of trial and error, he latched on to AI-generated fake news because it generated more online traffic.
“I haven’t yet made a lot of money that way,” he admitted.
His Facebook page was not yet monetised, though he had made a little money from TikTok.
Normally, Africa is not a region that is eligible for monetisation on the platform but he said he had found a way around that.
While his viral video on the fake coup in France may not have been a money-spinner, he has used it to promote an offer of online training in AI-generated content on Facebook.
“There are people who have got in touch with me after this video, at least five people since last week,” he said.
For one hour’s coaching, he makes 7,000 West African francs (US$12.50).
France is frequently the target of disinformation, in particular from the Alliance of Sahel States – Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.
Since a string of military coups there, all three countries have distanced themselves from France, the former colonial power, and moved instead towards Russia.
The Burkinabe junta in particular has become adept at AI-generated propaganda videos. They have included false clips of celebrities such as singer Beyonce or Pope Leo singing the praises of Ibrahim Traore, the military government’s leader.
Burkina Faso also has a group of influential cyberactivists who promote the government’s propaganda online, known as the “Rapid-Intervention Communication Battalion”.

The teenager behind the fake French coup video said he was not part of that group.
But while his main motivation was far from being political, he was happy to take a passing shot at France. “I also created this video to scare people.”
Some French media personalities and politicians did not present a fair view of what is going on in Africa’s Sahel region, instead broadcasting “fake news”, he said.
He cited recent reports that the Malian capital, Bamako, was on the point of falling to jihadist forces.
Informed sources agree that if the military government there was in difficulty recently from a jihadist blockage of supply routes, it has not so far been threatened to the point of losing power.
The French authorities “have no regrets about publishing false statements on the [Alliance of Sahel States]”, the teenager said.
“So I’m not going to regret publishing false things about them.”


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French President Emmanuel Macron speaks at a press conference on Friday. Photo: AFP

A screengrab from the AI-generated video. Photo: Facebook

Burkina Faso coup leader Ibrahim Traore participates in a ceremony in Ouagadougou on October 15, 2022. Photo: AP

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a debate on the bloc’s position on a proposed peace plan for Ukraine, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on November 26. Photo: EPA

French President Emmanuel Macron (right) and Chinese President Xi Jinping visit Dujiangyan, Sichuan province, on December 5. Macron this week called for Beijing to address EU trade concerns or face concrete action. Photo: Reuters

Residents react at the site of a Russian air strike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Friday. Photo: Reuters 

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) and Steve Witkoff, US special envoy, stand together for a group photo in Berlin on Monday. Photo: dpa

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The Burkinabe teen said he had posted the fake video as a way to make money but despite millions of views, only earned US$8


The Burkinabe teen said he had posted the fake video as a way to make money but despite millions of views, only earned US$8.


African teen who raised Macron’s ire with AI-generated French ‘coup’ video has no regrets

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The Burkinabe teen said he had posted the fake video as a way to make money but despite millions of views, only earned US$8

The Burkinabe teen said he had posted the fake video as a way to make money but despite millions of views, only earned US$8