Couple travels across Malaysia for cable car ride, only to discover it was created by AI

The incident was shared by a hotel worker in a June 30 post on social media platform Threads, as reported by The Straits Times. She detailed her shock upon informing the couple of the deception. In June, the couple made the journey from Kuala Lumpur to the western state of Perak.

"(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," the worker recalled. Kuak Hulu is a village in Perak.

It became clear that the couple was serious when the elderly woman explained they had traveled after watching a video aired on a local news segment. The video, which was generated using AI, featured a woman with a microphone introducing the "Kuak Skyride," a supposed scenic cable car ride in Kuak Hulu. The footage featured tourists queuing at a ticket booth and snapping photos of the attraction, according to The Independent.

In the video, which had gone viral on Facebook and TikTok, the "reporter" interviews visitors, including tourists from Thailand, and enjoys a lavish meal. The cable car ride, set against mountain views, ends at a deer petting zoo. A bizarre moment at the end of in the video showed an elderly woman performing a handstand, with her body morphing into a misshapen blob before returning to its normal shape.

"I was so shocked... I explained to the auntie that the video was (made by artificial intelligence) and not real," said the hotel worker.

"The auntie then asked, ‘Why would anyone want to lie? There was even a reporter (in the video).’"

The elderly woman told the worker she had not seen any comments suggesting the video was fake and even expressed intentions to sue the fictional journalist in the video. The worker clarified that the journalist, too, was a creation of AI. When asked why they had not consulted their children before embarking on the trip, the couple admitted they were too embarrassed.

The story quickly went viral, garnering national attention. Local police have since urged the public to exercise caution when viewing viral content and to verify the authenticity of online videos.

Acting Baling police chief Ahmad Salimi Md Ali told the New Straits Times that while no official complaints had been filed, preliminary investigations confirmed the video was entirely fabricated. He emphasized: "We advise the public not to fall for viral content without confirmation. In this era of AI-generated media, misleading materials can spread easily and cause confusion."