Kancha Gachibowli’s animals and birds flee from JCBs in AI-generated image
Amid the clearing of land at Kancha Gachibowli, an AI-generated image showing machines disrupting the natural habitat of animals and birds has gone viral.
By Md Mahfooz Alam
Hyderabad: The Telangana State government claimed sole ownership of the 400-acre Kancha Gachibowli land near the University of Hyderabad (UoH) and has begun clearing it for IT infrastructure and urban projects. This has sparked protests from UoH students, environmental activists and political parties.
Since March 30, students have been opposing the clearing by the JCBs, citing environmental concerns and the land’s biodiversity, home to over 455 species, including peacocks and deer. Political leaders have criticised the government’s actions, alleging ecological damage and heavy-handedness. BJP legislators were reportedly blocked from visiting the site.
Meanwhile, several social media users have shared an AI-generated image portraying a chaotic scene of excavators and bulldozers clearing a forest. The image showed wild animals in panic—deer, peacocks and birds fleeing as their natural habitat comes under immediate threat. Dust and debris fill the air, emphasising the violence of the deforestation process and adding to the distressing atmosphere.
Many have not specified whether the image depicts a real scene from Kancha Gachibowli or is AI-generated. However, they have shared it with hashtags such as #SaveHCUBioDiversity, #SaveHCU, #HCU and #SaveKanchaGachibowli. The posts can be seen here and here.
To verify its authenticity, we analysed the image using AI-detection tools. Hive Moderation identified it as AI-generated or deepfake content with a 98.2 per cent confidence score, while SightEngine detected it as AI-generated with 99 per cent certainty.
