Oh, how far we’ve come since the days of Will Smith eating spaghetti. While AI-generated images have become increasingly realistic in recent years, video has always been a few steps behind. But something seems to be changing lately, both in technology and in myself.
Earlier this week, I was scrolling through Creative Bloq’s Twitter (sorry, X) feed, which was constantly filled with gibberish and dirty jokes. This is the algorithm since Elon Musk took over. But then I saw a video that horrified me. It was a seemingly candid smartphone video of a girl in a field swinging a golf club at a golf ball and hitting it directly into the head of a duck. As the girl laughs, the duck flaps its wings in pain and confusion before falling into the lake and drifting away, presumably meeting a slow and painful end.
I really felt sorry for this duck. And I felt angry towards that girl. Then I looked through the comments to see who felt the same way. At this time, I realized that it was an AI-generated video. For the first time, I fell into one. I was furious with the AI.
But of course it’s not just me. If I was fooled by a stupid duck video, who else would be fooled by an AI video, especially if they are not tech or internet savvy? The answer is almost certainly that there are many, many people.
And that number will only continue to increase. Generative AI video technology is advancing at an incredible rate. Last month, a purportedly AI-generated “movie clip” of a fight between Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt went viral online, making it a hot topic for inches due to its apparent authenticity. In fact, the clip was so sophisticated that The New York Times claimed it stunned Hollywood.
This was a two-line prompt in Seadance 2. If Hollywood is cooked, then maybe everyone is right. If Hollywood is cooked, everyone is overcooked. pic.twitter.com/dNTyLUIwAVFebruary 11, 2026
While Seadance’s claim that this clip was created from a “single prompt” may have been proven false (obviously actors and green screens may have been involved), that doesn’t change the fact that enough people believed it to be so. Possible It turns out it was an AI-generated video created from a simple prompt that took over the internet for several days. It certainly shows how far we have come.
But while true AI-generated Hollywood-quality clips may still be a while away, it’s the lo-fi stuff like that bloody duck that worries me. AI-generated animal videos, fake CCTV clips and hyper-realistic ‘on-camera’ moments are increasingly circulating on social media. Simple, low-quality videos like these can cause a reaction and go viral before anyone can stop asking questions.
When AI begins to blend seamlessly into the visual language of the internet—shaky cellphone footage, grainy surveillance shots, TikTok edits, and livestream clips—it becomes truly insidious. This is the kind of content that shouldn’t look perfect. That means the AI doesn’t have to be perfect to fool fools like me. But being attracted to a video of a duck being hit by a golf ball is one thing, and being attracted to fake war footage is another.
We’ve published advice on how to identify AI-generated images, but video is a whole different ball game. Without the ability to zoom in and inspect pixels and details, we are forced to rely on instinct and “vibe.” However, there are some things to keep in mind.
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First, always check the source of the video. If it only comes from one creator, especially if that account is popular or doesn’t have a large number of followers, that creator may be pumping out AI content. Authentic clips tend to go viral quickly and be shared by many people.
Next, watch out for narrative bait. Completely “stylized” stories designed to elicit an emotional response (animal rescues, celebrity drama, shocking surveillance camera footage) may be too “good” to be true, especially if shot from the perfect angle.
And always listen to the audio. This is one area where AI lags. Cloned voices often don’t sync properly and are characterized by flat or robotic tones. Also, if your clip has no sound effects, just a music track, ask yourself why. Probably there were no sound effects.
in short. It’s time to start treating viral videos like we used to treat chain letters. Funny, sometimes compelling, and probably nonsense. Because it looks like the next step in AI realism will be blurry video shot on a stranger’s cell phone, not Hollywood-level special effects.
