As political reactions to the leaked video circulated on X by an account using the name “Emily Thompson” continue to unfold, attention on social media framing the highly debated video, shifted initially to a more technical question that emerged: does the video contain AI-generated material.
That question was the focus of a fact-check published by Fact Check Cyprus. Journalist and fact checker Théophile Bloudanis speaking to Politis to the point, explained the scope, findings and limits of the investigation.
Is it fake?
According to Bloudanis, the fact-checking team examined the segments of the video in which faces are visible, using the available detection tools and established verification methods. Based on this analysis, Fact Check Cyprus did not identify signs of AI-generated or deepfake content. The footage, as it stands, does not appear to contain synthetic faces or fabricated visual material.
This finding, however, does not amount to a broader validation of the video’s integrity. As Bloudanis stresses, the fact check addresses only whether artificial intelligence was used to generate visual content. It does not rule out editing, selective cuts or other forms of manipulation.
Can't even describe what I just received!
— Emily Thompson (@EmilyTanalyst) January 8, 2026
🚨 BREAKING BOMBSHELL VIDEO EXPOSES CYPRUS PRESIDENT'S SHADOW CASH MACHINE!
President Nikos Christodoulides allegedly SMASHED the €1M campaıgn fınance cap vıa a sneaky family network!
Brother-in-law Charalambos Charalambous (Director of… pic.twitter.com/B9YDR1Y3T3
Can we expect more?
“The video is presented almost like a completed micro-documentary,” he notes, adding that while it appears carefully assembled and structured, it cannot be stated with certainty that it is complete, unedited or representative of a wider context. The presence or absence of AI does not resolve questions about montage, omissions or narrative framing.
Who is Emily Thompson?
Parallel to the technical analysis of the footage, Fact Check Cyprus also examined the profile that circulated the video. Searching the name “Emily Thompson” online reveals bylines linked to English-language opinion or geopolitics websites, including The Spectator and The Thinking Conservative. However, Bloudanis notes that the profile image associated with those appearances appears to be AI-generated, raising doubts about whether the account corresponds to a real individual.
“On X, the account had a very small number of followers prior to the video’s release and exhibited limited original activity. Much of its content consisted of retweets accompanied by repetitive comments”, says Bloudanis, “a pattern we found as quite suspicious.” While this alone does not confirm inauthentic behaviour, it strengthens the assessment that the profile may be artificial or instrumental rather than stemming from an individual.
Why now?
The video may, as Bloudanis puts it, “simply have used the account as a vehicle for dissemination. What is clear, however, is that the timing of the release does not appear accidental.” The broader context and political moment in which the video emerged are “significant”, even if the intent behind it remains unclear.
Many questions remain unanswered
Bloudanis emphasises that the fact check was prompted by a surge of public uncertainty, with many users asking whether the footage was AI-generated and lacking the tools to assess it themselves. Using the methodologies available to them, fact checkers concluded that the video is not a deepfake, while underlining that their investigation is ongoing.
Assessing political implications, responsibility or intent, he adds, falls outside the remit of fact checking and squarely within the work of political reporters and investigative journalists. For now, the fact check answers one narrow but crucial question, while leaving the larger issues surrounding the video firmly open.
Theophile Bloudanis worked as a fact-checker journalist for Agence France Presse (AFP), covering Greece and Cyprus. He had previously worked as a journalist for the local Swiss newspaper Le Journal du Jura and as a photographer for AFP.