Paraglider almost freezes to death upon reaching 28K feet above Earth; viral video raises suspicions on AI use
A paraglider from China nearly froze to death after getting pulled into a cloud formation that's 8,500 meters (27,800 feet) above Earth in a viral video, though it's speculated to have been partially AI-generated.
Multiple outlets, including BBC and NBC News, reported that Peng Yuijang, 55, was testing new equipment over the Qilian mountains in the province of Gansu—at 3,000m above sea level—when a "cloud suck," or a rare updraft or air current, pulled him 5,000m higher.
Peng's experience was caught on camera and has gone viral on social media platform Douyin.
But the video, which showed Peng clutching the glider's controls and his face and body covered in ice crystals, raised suspicions that portions of it were generated by artificial intelligence.
NBC News noted that the first five seconds of the video seemingly showing Peng was cropped, omitting a logo from Doubao AI, the artificial intelligence app of ByteDance. That same portion was uploaded separately on Facebook with the company watermark intact.
BBC noted that it was unable to independently verify the video, though NBC News has removed its versions online. The latter said other outlets that carried the video, like Reuters, had already taken it down.
The incident, meanwhile, trended in China, and Peng gave interviews to local media.
"It was terrifying... Everything was white," he told China Media Group. "I couldn't see any direction. Without the compass, I wouldn't have known which way I was going. I thought I was flying straight, but in reality, I was spinning."
Peng claimed he narrowly survived death as the oxygen is thin at that altitude.
"I wanted to come down quickly, but I just couldn't. I was lifted higher and higher until I was inside the cloud," he said.
He also claimed that he might've lost consciousness during his descent.
Peng has been suspended for six months because his flight was unauthorized, according to the state-run Global Times.
Per the Aero Sports Association of Gansu, Peng is a licensed paraglider with two years of experience.
The association noted that Peng's overall account was accurate, but recalled its initial statement from its WeChat service account because one detail was unclear.
The incident is under investigation.
