Did you see that video from Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula showing people sliding down a huge wall of snow between two apartment buildings? Open your eyes and look closely.
It was such a cute and feel-good video that its excited creators forgot to label it as ‘AI-generated.’ Some —equally excited— journalists equally forgot to verify it, even though it was obvious from miles away that the video was fake.
So, that video —and other equally original clips— was picked up as real by many accredited international (and of course Greek) media and everyone’s jaws dropped at the supposedly record-breaking snowfall in long-suffering Kamchatka.
Once the excitement wore off and people watched it again with a clear head, AI elements stuck out like a sore thumb. I’m not trying to be Mr.-know-it-all— but I kind of am. How is it even possible that people just slide on top of this steep, tall pile of fresh snow, and don’t sink into it or make it collapse?
Since when did casual scrolling turn into a full-time job of verifying whether the content I consume is real?
I’m confused big-time, and I’m stuck in a constant verification crisis. At first it was this OpenAI Sora cat, casually flipping burgers next to its sleeping owner. No matter how real it looked —and no matter how much I’m convinced cats are manipulating us to be their servants— I didn’t buy that one. But later I did fall for some little bunnies bouncing on a trampoline at night. When the internet denounced it as fake, I was genuinely sad. 🙁
Same now with the Kamchatka snowdrift. 🙁 🙁
What if tomorrow I,and millions of others, fall for an AI-generated video showing one country attacking another? And what if it’s convincing enough to spark a real attack?
Since when did casual bedtime scrolling turn into a full-time job of verifying whether the content I consume is real? Now I’m watching tutorials at night so I, like a Sherlock Holmes, spot AI’s lies fast and protect my innocent human eyes from falling for everything.
We already live in a new era, where doubt is the new black. The instant awe we felt at the very beginning will soon give way to a baseline apathy.
But at some point, our brains will get tired. Without the right tools to tell real from fake, we’ll eventually crash and give up. We’ll end up believing everything, or believing nothing.
We already live in a new era, where doubt is the new black. The instant awe we felt at the very beginning will soon give way to a baseline apathy.
‘Yo’re just too good to be true’ starts looping in my head in Efi Thodi’s voice and accent. I wish the remake video was AI-generated, but sadly that one is real.
Or is it?
What is fyi.news?
