Fact check: Is clip showing Alex Pretti on a billboard in Times Square real?

WASHINGTON, DC: Alex Pretti, a Minneapolis intensive care unit (ICU) nurse, was shot and killed by federal agents on Saturday, January 24, in Minneapolis. Federal authorities said that Border Patrol officers acted in self-defense during the encounter.

Following the tragic incident, a clip went viral on social media claiming to show Alex Pretti on a billboard in Times Square. The post was widely shared online. But is the image real or is it a work of AI? Let us find out below.

Claim: Clip shows Alex Pretti on a billboard in Times Square

Several social media users posted a clip on X that showed Alex Pretti appearing on a billboard in Times Square. 

The 10-second clip pans across Times Square, showing Pretti's image on a digital billboard with the text 'From healthcare hero to target of violence' and 'ALEX PRETTI NURSE.' The song 'Tears in Heaven' by Eric Clapton plays in the background.

An X user shared the clip and wrote, "NYC right now. Alex Pretti’s face on a billboard in Times Square. From “healthcare hero” to target of state violence. They want this story buried. The city just put it on a screen the whole world can’t ignore." 

Similarly, another X user posted, "THANK YOU TIME SQUARE: Alex Pretti’s face is being broadcast on a billboard in Times Square. NYC put it on a screen that the whole world can’t ignore. Your thoughts?" 

"Alex Pretti’s face on a billboard in Times Square. Drop a <heart emoji> to honor Alex Pretti," wrote a third X user while sharing the same clip.

Fact Check: The viral clip seems to be AI-generated

The claims made in the viral rumors are false, as there is no credible evidence to prove that Alex Pretti's picture appeared on a billboard in Times Square.

Moreover, searches on search engines, such as Google and Bing, with the keywords 'Alex Pretti Times Square' showed no news reports from any credible news outlet. If this were true, several media houses would have covered it. 

Furthermore, the viral clip seems to be generated using AI-tools. The footage has subtle artifacts, such as inconsistent lighting on the billboard compared to surrounding buildings and slight distortions in Pretti's image, which are common in AI-edited videos.

The base footage seems to be recycled from non-winter stock videos of Times Square. Live feeds from Times Square on January 26-27 showed snowy conditions, with no matching billboard visible in real-time views during the time frame the viral clip claims to show.

There was also no official announcement regarding the display of Pretti's image on the billboard by any official authority.