AI-Generated "Cat in the Hat" Videos Spread False Reports of Violence Across UK and Ireland
Published · curated by AI Is Going Just Great
Source: oursaferschools.co.uk ↗
Some posts have gone as far as creating fake news stories or police reports to add false credibility.
AI-generated clips of the Cat in the Hat "terrorising" streets, appearing on doorbell cameras, and threatening to visit named towns spread across TikTok and Instagram, prompting several UK and Irish police forces to issue public statements confirming the reports were fake. Some videos paired the character with scrolling lists of cities or schools said to be visited next; others fabricated news articles and fake police reports to lend the content credibility.
The trend created knock-on risks beyond the obvious misinformation. Children commenting under posts to name their own towns or schools handed strangers enough location detail to pose as someone local. Accounts promoting the content also used it as audience-building bait, funnelling young followers toward other material that, in some cases, included sexualised or age-inappropriate content on platforms with no meaningful moderation.