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Is this YouTube page with millions of views about true crimes real? The AI ​​Controversy Explained

Is this YouTube page with millions of views about true crimes real? The AI ​​Controversy Explained

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bisto

It’s 2024, which means there’s a new AI controversy. This time, it’s linked to a viral YouTube page with millions of views.

In the world of television and movies, artificial intelligence has become a hot topic. It was one of the reasons for the Hollywood strikes last year, with the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA demanding regulations on its use in entertainment.

The big issue concerned studios’ plans to hire background actors for a day, scan them and use their digital replicas in future projects — without payment or consent. While the strike has since been resolved, it is far from over, with vocal players in the video game industry now taking action.

But what about the real crime? Surely, in an area so concerned with cold hard facts, we shouldn’t worry about AI, right? Wrong, apparently.

YouTube viral true crime page is completely fake

True Crime Case Files YouTube Channel launched eight months ago, racking up millions of views with its deep dive into “unsolved mysteries, heinous crimes and chilling investigations.” The only problem? It appears to be completely false.

The channel has dozens of videos about true crime cases, each of which imitates well-known creators in the field, such as JCS and Explore With Us.

However, rather than shedding light on factual events, each of the True Crime Case Files videos appear to be generated by artificial intelligence, including images of victims, perpetrators and locations, as well as scripts and narration.

Home of True Crime Case FilesYouTube/True Crime Case Files

The channel has amassed millions of views

No footage is used, instead featuring still images to tell the story. However, nowhere on the page does it indicate that these cases are not real.

His bio states, “Our channel is your destination for capturing true crime content. Join us on a journey through the darkest corners of criminal history as we analyze cold cases, dissect crime scenes and uncover the truth behind baffling mysteries.

“From gripping detective work to shocking revelations, our videos combine gripping storytelling with expert insight. True Crime Case Files promises to be your portal into the thrilling world of real-life criminal investigations.”

So far, the page has amassed more than 83,000 subscribers, with its most popular video — titled “Husband’s Secret Gay Love Affair with Step Son Ends in Grisly Murder (True Crime Documentary)” — garnering 1.8 million views.

The story centers on Richard Engelbert, said to be “a successful real estate agent in Littleton, Colorado, whose secret gay affair with his stepson, Harrison, led to a brutal murder” in 2014.

However, there is no evidence that any of this happened. And it was this video that led to the channel’s exposure, as the Denver Post was asked why it didn’t cover the case — and that’s when it did its own deep dive.

As reporter Elizabeth Hernandez explains, “the narrative of the video says the case has received local and national media attention,” but no evidence of this case can be found on Google or in law enforcement records.

Eric Ross, director of media relations for the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, told reporters that the story appeared to be false because “none of the names appeared in a search of Colorado court records.”

Meanwhile, Sgt. Krista Schmit of the Littleton Police Department said they were not investigating the crime described.

There are also production issues, with the narrator changing the location of the alleged crime from the fictional Bleak Street to Oak Street, as well as the pronunciation of “Engelbert”.

Are any of the cases real?

As of August 2024, True Crime Case Files has 104 full-length videos and none of them seem to be based on actual cases.

While this has yet to be officially confirmed, much like the Richard Engelbert case, there is no evidence online to suggest that any of these murders took place.

The titles of the videos certainly attract attention – for example, the most recent one is “Teenage Groom Murdered after Marrying 65-year-old Bridezilla (True Crime Documentary)”.

According to the description, it centers on 19-year-old Noah Beasley of Sedona, Arizona, whose “life took a tragic turn” after he married 65-year-old Gertrude Hartford-Beasley.

But a quick search online won’t turn up valid sources like court documents or official news outlets reporting on what the YouTube channel describes as a “sensational trial.”

Another issue is that there are no contact details for True Crime Case Files or any indication of who is behind it, meaning the only way to interact with the creator is through the comments section.

AI in true crime is a worrying trend

Even if this page isn’t generated by artificial intelligence, it wouldn’t be the first time the use of technology has been questioned in true crime.

Earlier this year, the Netflix docu-series What Jennifer Did was accused of using AI-manipulated footage of Jennifer Pan to reflect her life leading up to her parents’ murder.

More recently, the streaming service Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam used digitally altered footage for Lou Pearlman to narrate excerpts from his book from beyond the grave.

Lou Pearlman in Dirty PopNetflix

Lou Pearlman was brought back from the dead using technology

But when it comes to the idea of ​​completely made-up murders, it points to a worrying trend, as the videos have hundreds of comments from viewers who believe the cases are real.

In response to Richard Engelbert’s deep dive, one wrote: “It’s unthinkable that a mother would let her child be abused, but the fact that he’s also a director is scary.”

“It wasn’t an affair, it was abuse,” said another, while a third added: “Imagine your son’s life falling apart and all you care about is your career. What a mess.”

Elaborating on this troubling trend, Casey Fiesler, an associate professor at the University of Colorado Boulder who specializes in technology ethics, told the Denver Post that he has seen similar content generated by AI to spread false conspiracies.

“I’m not surprised to see something like that,” she said. “True crime makes a lot of sense as a genre, in the same way that conspiracy theories do, because people watch that kind of content. The motivation for this is money.”

Fiesler estimated that the channel could have made tens of thousands of dollars for Engelbert’s video alone.

“The way people believe something just because they see it on the internet is going to be more and more of a problem,” she continued.

“What generative AI has done is democratize these types of bad actors, in the sense that the more people that are able to create this type of content, the more we’re going to see.”

For more AI scandals, read about the drama of Lionsgate’s Megalopolis trailer, the Late Night with the Devil reaction, and the chilling details of True Detective Season 4.

If you’re after true (true) crime, check out what happened to Justine Siemens from Worst Ex Ever, where Mei Li and Rosa Hill are now, and the disturbing details to learn about American Murder: Laci Peterson.

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