Settled
Leshan Buddha scenic area says viral maintenance video is AI-generated
In short
The Leshan Giant Buddha Cultural Relics Protection (Scenic Area) Management Committee said a widely shared video showing workers cleaning the statue's ears and nose was AI-generated and not a real scene at the site. An official told reporters the Buddha had five maintenance sessions in 2026, including one from Sept 20 to 25, and that there is no debris in its ears or nose and no monkeys in the area. Both reports cited Chinese rules that require AI content to be labelled and ban false information about cultural relics.
Why it matters
The case is an example of AI-generated video being reposted as real by self-media and some official accounts, which the reports treat as a test of verification and labelling rules for synthetic media. It also concerns a UNESCO-listed heritage site, so an unverified clip about its conservation touches public trust in how such sites are maintained. The documents describe no wider regulatory or legal consequences beyond the rules already in force.
Key facts
- The Leshan Giant Buddha Cultural Relics Protection (Scenic Area) Management Committee said a circulating video of maintenance work on the statue was AI-generated and not a real scene in the scenic area. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The video showed conservation workers pulling a pigeon and rotting leaves from the Buddha's ear and a large amount of rotting leaves from its nostril, with a monkey jumping on the statue and taking a worker's helmet, China News Service reported. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Chen Rui, deputy director of the committee's digital information centre, said the Buddha underwent five maintenance sessions in 2026, the fifth from Sept 20 to 25, covering repair of micro-damage on the rock surface, microbial cleaning and removal of surface vegetation, none of it related to the video. [ 2 ]
- Chen Rui also said there is no debris in the Buddha's ears or nose that needs cleaning and that there are currently no monkeys in the Lingyun Mountain area where the Buddha is located. [ 2 ]
- China News Service said many self-media accounts and some official accounts shared the clip without verifying it, widening the spread of the false information. [ 1 ]
- Both reports cited rules requiring prominent AI labels and prohibiting AI-generated content from fabricating facts or misleading the public, and said spreading rumours that disturb public order can lead to detention or fines. [ 1 , 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The scenic area management committee said the video was AI-generated and did not show a real scene at the Leshan Giant Buddha site. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The committee asked internet users not to believe or spread the video. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Both reports cited Chinese regulations that require AI-generated content to be prominently labelled and prohibit false information about cultural relics. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- Who created the AI video, when it was first posted and on which platforms. Neither document states the origin or first publication of the clip, only that it circulated online.
- Whether any action will be taken against the accounts that shared the video. The reports describe the applicable rules but do not say whether enforcement or penalties are planned in this case.
- Details of the four earlier 2026 maintenance sessions. Only the number of sessions and the dates and contents of the fifth are given, in one document.
What local media are saying
Official sourcesChina News Service led with the committee's denial, described what the fake video showed, and noted that self-media and some official accounts reposted it without verification. It cited the deep synthesis and generative AI rules as well as cybersecurity and cultural relics laws, and stressed that relic maintenance follows strict professional procedures at a world cultural and natural heritage site.
[
1
]
Technology mediaIT Home reported the committee's response to the outlet Sichuan Guancha and added detail from deputy centre director Chen Rui: five maintenance sessions in 2026, the fifth on Sept 20-25 and its contents, no debris in the Buddha's ears or nose and no monkeys in the Lingyun Mountain area. It listed the same AI labelling and cultural relics rules.
[
2
]
Timeline, local time
- The fifth maintenance session of 2026 on the Leshan Giant Buddha runs from Sept 20 to 25, covering repair of micro-damage on the rock surface, microbial cleaning and removal of surface vegetation, according to the scenic area committee's Chen Rui. [ 2 ]
- China News Service publishes the committee's statement that the viral maintenance video is AI-generated and untrue, and reports that some self-media and official accounts shared it without verification. [ 1 ]
- IT Home reports the same denial and adds Chen Rui's details on the 2026 maintenance sessions, the absence of debris in the ears and nose, and the absence of monkeys in the Lingyun Mountain area. [ 2 ]