FACT CHECK: Did A.I Robots Kill 29 Humans In A Japanese Lab?

Joseph Casieri | Fact Check Reporter

A video shared on Facebook purports that A.I robots had killed at least 29 scientists in Japan.

 Verdict: False

This caption is unfounded. There is no evidence this incident occurred.

Fact Check:

The video claims that A.I robots turned on the scientists during testing. The video features a split screen with a woman speaking on the bottom with a man reacting on top. “Japanese A.I Robots Murders 29 Scientists,” the caption reads.

A similar claim was posted on Twitter, garnering 5,000 views. The clip was part of a speech given by Linda Moulton Howe, the documentary filmmaker and author of several books on alien life, claiming testimony from an eyewitness about the events.

“At a top robotics company in Japan this week, four robots being developed for military applications killed 29 humans in the lab,” Howe alleged. “And they did it by shooting what he called metal bullets…The scariest part is that lab workers deactivated two of the robots, took apart the third, but the fourth robot began restoring itself.”

There is no credible news report that suggests this incident occurred.  Howe offers no evidence to support her claims. She gives no names of victims, witnesses or the name of the lab that the incident occurred in. The claim has circulated on social media for several years, going as far back as 2018, according to OregonLive. Howe also claimed the information came from a source within the Central Intelligence Agency, the outlet reported.

Check Your Fact made a request comment from an organization network of robot technology developers in Japan called the Japan Robot Association. (RELATED: Does This Video Show Babies Grown In A lab?)

A spokesperson for the Robotics Policy Office of the Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry told Reuters that the claim had “no basis in fact.”

This is not the first time videos have been shared online with misleading or false captions. Check Your Fact recently debunked video that purported to be a Ukrainian ambush of a Russian tank squad.

Joseph Casieri

Fact Check Reporter

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