An elderly Malaysian couple recently travelled over 300km from Kuala Lumpur to Gerik, Perak, in search of a cable car attraction featured in a viral video, only to discover it was entirely AI-generated.
The incident was shared on social media by a hotel worker in Gerik on 30 June. “(The couple) came to check into the hotel, and they asked if I’ve ridden the cable car at Kuak Hulu. I thought they were just kidding,” she said, adding that she realised they were serious when the woman explained they had made the long trip for it.
The video, almost three minutes long, features what appears to be a journalist from “TV Rakyat” introducing the fictional “Kuak SkyRide”, complete with scenes of visitors from Thailand, a ticketing counter, and a scenic cable car ride past trees, a stream and even grazing deer. It ends with a surreal clip of an elderly woman performing a handstand that distorts mid-motion.
“I was so shocked... I explained to the auntie that the video was (made by AI) and not real,” said the hotel worker. The woman responded: “Why would anyone want to lie? There was even a reporter (in the video).”
The couple, who felt too embarrassed to ask their children for help verifying the video, considered taking legal action against the fictitious journalist.
Acting Baling police chief Deputy Superintendent Ahmad Salimi Md Ali confirmed that the video was fabricated and said no such cable car project exists. “We advise the public not to fall for viral content without confirmation,” he said, urging caution in the age of AI-generated media.