A dramatic image circulating online claims to show a cameraman dangling from the side of Taipei 101 while filming climber Alex Honnold during his ascent of the skyscraper. Posted on Threads, the caption written in Chinese loosely translates to “the cameraman is amazing”. The image has been widely shared on social media, often presented as a real behind-the-scenes moment from Honnold’s climb without safety equipment, also known as “free soloing” and the image was cited as evidence of the extreme risks taken by the filming crew.

Alex Honnold did climb Taipei 101 in January 2026 as part of a promotional event in collaboration with Netflix. The ascent was real and broadcast live on Netflix, with footage and photographs released by organisers and media outlets. However, verified images and videos from the event do not show any cameramen hanging one-handed from the building as depicted in the viral image. Instead, camera operators were positioned on fixed platforms or secured with professional safety equipment.

Further analysis indicates that the image was likely generated using artificial intelligence. When examined with Google’s SynthID detection tool, the image was flagged as having been created by Google Gemini, based on the presence of an embedded digital watermark.

SynthID is a technology developed by Google that inserts imperceptible watermarks directly into AI-generated images, audio, video, and text. These markers are designed to remain detectable even after common edits such as cropping, resizing, or compression. As a result, SynthID allows content produced by Google’s generative AI tools – including Gemini, Imagen, and Veo – to be reliably identified.

Because the image contains a SynthID watermark, it is highly likely to have been generated using Google’s Gemini model rather than captured as a real photograph.

The viral image appears to have gained traction because it builds on a real and highly publicised event. Honnold is known for undertaking dangerous free-solo climbs, making exaggerated or fabricated visuals easier to believe when presented without context. In this case, the image exploits the credibility of the real climb to promote a misleading narrative about how it was filmed.

There is no evidence that a cameraman dangled unsecured from Taipei 101 during the climb, and no verified source has published such an image. The circulating photo does not reflect the actual filming conditions of the event and should not be treated as authentic.