The real fear behind fake photos

Another shocker was a video of a bear wandering into an ice cream shop, eating everything in sight, and promptly falling asleep on the counter. Hilarious. Unbelievable. And, as it turns out, utterly fake.

Then there was the supposed alien sighting. A shaky video of a greenish figure hiding behind a fence, looking exactly like what we’ve seen in sci-fi movies since childhood. For a brief moment I thought, “Well, maybe the truth is out there.” But no, that too was AI.

How can you not feel deceived when something that extraordinary is reduced to a cheap trick on the internet?

I have seen hundreds of these so-called “viral moments,” and I always seem to fall for them. What frustrates me even more is the punchline that follows: It’s AI-generated. Do you remember the infamous images of world leaders kissing each other? That one sent me reeling. Am I the only one who feels unsettled by this fakery?

The truth is, I’m not just annoyed. I’m scared. Scared shitless, to be exact.

The new reality

I know I’m late to this party of paranoia. The fear of AI taking over the world has been around for years. But let’s be honest, it’s different now. These photos and videos are so gosh darn good you can’t tell what’s authentic anymore. A few years ago, AI fakes looked clumsy, like a bad Photoshop job. Today, they’re polished, cinematic, and frighteningly real.

And the scariest part? No one is responsible. Someone behind a screen somewhere cooks up an image, posts it, and because it’s shocking, it spreads like wildfire. The creator remains anonymous, and the audience, millions of us, just keep clicking, sharing, and believing.

Where is the accountability? Where is the pause button before something potentially harmful circulates the globe.

I’ll admit some of these fakes are entertaining. The bear in the ice cream shop gave me a good laugh. Others, like pets pulling stunts straight out of a cartoon, can be charming. Even the alien clip would have been amusing if it weren’t for the eerie thought that people might actually believe it.

But let’s not pretend this is harmless. If a picture says a thousand words, a fake picture tells a thousand lies. What happens when the subject isn’t a cat or a bear, but a politician, a celebrity, or even an ordinary person? The damage could be reputational, financial, or even life-threatening.

People my age, in our 50s and above, really find it difficult to distinguish between AI and real because we are just too busy with real life. We are also too trusting, maybe to a fault. We didn’t grow up questioning every image we saw. If Anderson Cooper said it on CNN, it was gospel. If it was printed in the morning paper, it was fact. Now, that instinctive trust has turned into a weakness. The digital world demands constant skepticism, but many of us were trained to believe first and ask questions later. That makes us easy targets.

And it isn’t just AI images and videos. Catfishing has practically become a sport. People use fake identities online not just to scam, but to play games with other people’s emotions. Entire relationships are built on false photos, fabricated lives, and stolen identities. It’s deception as entertainment, and the cruelty of it is staggering. If AI can make fake bears and aliens convincing, imagine what it can do to make a fake boyfriend or girlfriend believable.

Misinformation has always existed, but AI has supercharged it. Now, it’s not just fake news articles we’re sifting through, it’s entire visual realities that never happened.

So, what do we do?

I don’t have all the answers, but I’ve developed a survival kit for my sanity:

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1. Ask the kids. Honestly, the younger generation has eagle eyes. They grew up in this digital jungle and can spot the flaws faster than I can.

2. Verify, verify, verify. When in doubt, I check multiple news outlets. If BBC, CNN, or a trusted local site like Inquirer isn’t reporting it, chances are, it’s fake.

3. Slow down before sharing. It’s tempting to hit “forward” or “repost,” but a few minutes of caution can save us from spreading nonsense.

And sometimes, maybe the best option is to just stay away from the internet altogether. If what you’re seeing constantly leaves you doubting reality, then perhaps stepping back, logging off, and reconnecting with the real world is the only way to keep your peace of mind.

Living with the fake

We’re entering a world where truth and fiction are increasingly difficult to separate. Maybe the best we can do is sharpen our instincts, lean on reliable sources, and keep our sense of humor intact.

But still, sometimes I wish for the good old days when the biggest deception online was a heavily filtered selfie. At least then, you knew the face behind it was real.

By the way, have you caught that video about millions of giant anacondas taking over the Amazon? I better ask Jacqui about it.