Latest news with #TVRakyat
Phone Arena
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Phone Arena
AI travel videos are getting so real, people are falling for fake attractions
A Malaysian couple recently found themselves at the center of an AI hoax that turned a simple weekend trip into a costly and frustrating experience. After watching what appeared to be a professionally produced travel video, the elderly couple drove over 230 miles from Kuala Lumpur to a small town in Perak, only to discover that the entire attraction was fabricated by artificial intelligence. The video that fooled them featured a realistic news segment from a fictional broadcaster called "TV Rakyat." In the clip, a lifelike AI-generated reporter showcased the "Kuak Skyride," a scenic cable car ride said to exist in the town of Kuak Hulu. The footage showed lush mountain views, interviews with so-called tourists, and even a luxurious dining experience overlooking the landscape. The segment ended with a visit to a deer petting zoo. The entire video appeared authentic, complete with voiceovers and convincing visuals likely created using Google's Veo 3 model. According to local media including the Metro and the South China Morning Post , the couple checked into a hotel in Perak's Pengkalan Hulu area on June 30 and asked about the cable car ride. A hotel employee recounted the moment she realized the attraction didn't exist: Receive the latest Google news By subscribing you agree to our terms and conditions and privacy policy — @dyaaaaaaa._, a hotel employee, via Threads The woman was reportedly upset and said she planned to sue the journalist featured in the video. But the hotel employee had to break the news: the reporter was also AI-generated. 'Why would anyone want to lie?' the woman replied. 'There was even a reporter (in the video).' This wasn't an isolated incident. Another social media user reported their parents spent RM 9,000 (around $2,120 USD) to rent a van for the same trip, believing the video to be real. Reports suggest the video went viral across Malaysian social platforms before eventually being taken down due to public backlash. The situation raises important questions about the growing realism of AI-generated video content. If ordinary travelers can be misled by videos that seem indistinguishable from real-life footage, what does that mean for digital media going forward? Cases like this show that while generative video tools can be powerful for creativity, they also introduce risks around misinformation, especially when viewers are unaware of how convincing synthetic content can be. Personally, I think that as these tools become more accessible, we may need better labeling, regulations, or education to help viewers distinguish real from fake. The woman was reportedly upset and said she planned to sue the journalist featured in the video. But the hotel employee had to break the news: the reporter was also AI-generated. 'Why would anyone want to lie?' the woman replied. 'There was even a reporter (in the video).'This wasn't an isolated incident. Another social media user reported their parents spent RM 9,000 (around $2,120 USD) to rent a van for the same trip, believing the video to be real. Reports suggest the video went viral across Malaysian social platforms before eventually being taken down due to public situation raises important questions about the growing realism of AI-generated video content. If ordinary travelers can be misled by videos that seem indistinguishable from real-life footage, what does that mean for digital media going forward?Cases like this show that while generative video tools can be powerful for creativity, they also introduce risks around misinformation, especially when viewers are unaware of how convincing synthetic content can be. Personally, I think that as these tools become more accessible, we may need better labeling, regulations, or education to help viewers distinguish real from fake.
Metro
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Elderly couple travel three hours for attraction that doesn't exist
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video An elderly couple were duped by an AI-generated video, driving three hours in hopes of visiting a fake tourist spot. The couple, from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, saw a video advertising 'Kuak Skyride', a fake cable car ride with nearby restaurants. The video showed what appeared to be a female journalist interviewing attendees and boasting about the new attraction. But not all was as it seemed. The entire thing was created with AI, and the couple weren't made aware of that until they arrived at a hotel in Perak and asked staff about it. After hearing that no such place existed, the infuriated woman threatened to sue the journalist in the video, before being told she was also not real. A hotel staff member posted about the couple's experience on social media to warn other families not to fall for the hoax. The fake attraction was advertised on the TV channel 'TV Rakyat', which also doesn't exist, showing beautiful scenes in the forest. The elderly woman reportedly asked the hotel staff: 'Why do they do this to people?' They weren't the only ones to fall for the fake video. Another person claimed their parents paid around £2,000 to rent a van and drive to the attraction before realising it wasn't real. It's the latest trick using AI to scam unwitting people into going places and spending money when they shouldn't. Earlier this year, Martin Lewis issued a warning after some families lost money in a scheme which used his likeness to trick them out of £76,000. Des Healey, a kitchen fitter from Brighton, was tricked into handing over his life savings to a bogus bitcoin investment scheme that did not really exist. He first became aware of the scam in August 2023, after spotting a fake ad on Facebook which used an AI-generated video of Martin Lewis who appeared to be endorsing an investment scheme by Elon Musk. Sharing his story on Good Morning Britain, Des explained how he had been tricked by the fake video. 'If you listen to the voice and look at how the mouth moves, that normally gives it away.' 'But at the time, obviously, I wasn't studying that. I just got Martin Lewis saying that normally he doesn't cover these [investments] but this time, this is such a good thing.' More Trending He added: 'Now I feel how stupid I was, how blind I was. You know, I'm normally the type of person who would tell other people that doesn't sound right, but these people… Someone once described it as being under their spell, and I think that was probably the best term that he could have possibly said. I knew, in a way, something wasn't right, but I hoped that it was okay.' Responding to the story, Martin Lewis said Des was 'brave and admirable' for speaking out and telling his story as 'a warning flag' for others. 'I've spent my entire career trying to help consumers, and these criminals, thieves, organised crime people have perverted my reputation,' he told Des on his BBC Sounds podcast. He said scammers are 'psychologically adept at manipulating us, use huge online and intellectual resources in order to steal our money… falling for scams does not make you a mug – it makes you a victim, but it doesn't make you a mug'. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Musk releases much more powerful Grok 4 and 'thinks it likely' won't lead to the collapse of humanity MORE: Google is reading your WhatsApp messages by default – here's how to stop it MORE: Elon Musk's Grok went rogue and started saying how much it loved Hitler
Deccan Herald
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Deccan Herald
Malaysian couple travels more than 300 km to destination suggested by AI, here's what happened next
In today's world, where artificial intelligence is becoming a bigger part of our lives, it's easy to get tricked by what seems real but isn't, especially when it comes to online videos. A Malaysian couple recently learned this the hard way after they traveled over 300 kilometers believing an AI-generated video. They only discovered that their dream vacation spot didn't exist and was merely an AI-generated couple had come across a video on social media showcasing an exciting cable car ride, the "Kuak Skyride," in the quiet town of Kuak Hulu. Note: The video is an AI-generated posted on TikTok, the video appeared to be a legitimate news story featuring a local TV anchor exploring the destination and interacting with video appeared complete with fabricated details and even a mock map suggesting how to navigate the location. The video was convincing enough to prompt the elderly couple to plan a trip hundreds of kilometres away. In the nearly three-minute clip, a journalist from the fictional "TV Rakyat" network featured the cable car confusion came to fore when the couple checked into a hotel in Gerik, Perak, and asked a worker if she had visited the "Kuak Hulu cable car" they came across in the AI-genertaed employee, surprised, recalled the interaction while speaking to The Straits Times. "They came to check into the hotel and asked if I had ridden the cable car at Kuak Hulu. I thought they were just kidding,' she said.
South China Morning Post
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Malaysia couple travel hours to tour site after watching AI-created video, unaware it's unreal
A Malaysian couple travelled for three hours from Kuala Lumpur to the country's state of Perak to visit a tourist spot that exists only in an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated video. On June 30, a member of staff at a hotel in Perak state posted on social media that an elderly couple checked in and asked her about a scenic cable car that runs locally. The staff member who uses the name @dyaaaaaaa._ said she thought they were joking and told them the cable car attraction did not exist. She told them there was nothing to see in the quiet town. The artificial intelligence-generated 'journalist' reports from her unreal broadcast van. Photo: Facebook/Nurul Afzarina Mokhtar Apparently, the couple did not believe her and said they saw a video online that features a television host experiencing the service herself and interviewing people about their journeys. The woman staff member explained that what they saw was an AI-generated video. The video, which has now been taken down reportedly due to the controversy and reports from users, shows a glamorous female host with a channel called 'TV Rakyat' reporting about the fun tram ride, Kuak Skyride, located in the town of Kuak Hulu in Perak. The host takes the ride and enjoys the forests and mountains.
Straits Times
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Elderly duo travel across Malaysia for cable car ride seen in clip – only to find out it was all AI
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox In the AI-generated video, a journalist from "TV Rakyat" appears to introduce the attraction and interview visitors. Hoping to visit a cable car attraction featured in a social media clip, an elderly couple in Malaysia made the more than 300km journey from Kuala Lumpur to Perak before finding out that the video was AI-generated and that the ride did not exist. A hotel worker who broke the news to the couple detailed the incident in a post on Threads on June 30, saying that their experience had shocked her. '(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,' said the worker. Kuak Hulu is a kampung in Gerik, Perak. But she soon realised the couple was serious when the elderly woman told her that they had travelled all the way from Kuala Lumpur for it. The fake cable car is depicted in a nearly three- minute-long AI-generated video in which a journalist from 'TV Rakyat' appears to introduce the attraction and interview visitors, including tourists from Thailand . The video also features scenes of people queueing up at the 'Kuak SkyRide' ticket counter. It then cuts to show the cable car ride going over an expanse of trees, as well as near a stream and a group of deer grazing, before stopping near the foot of Baling Mountain in neighbouring Kedah state. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore $500 in Child LifeSG credits, Edusave, Post-Sec Education Account top-ups to be disbursed in July Singapore PAP questions Pritam's interview with Malaysian podcast, says politics should stop at water's edge World Liverpool's Portuguese forward Diogo Jota dies in car crash in Spain Sport Liverpool star Diogo Jota dead at 28: What you need to know about the footballer Business 60 S'pore firms to get AI boost from Tata Consultancy as it launches a new innovation centre here Singapore Scoot launches flights to Da Nang, Kota Bharu and Nha Trang; boosts frequency to other destinations Singapore Electrician who bit off part of coworker's ear during fight gets 6 months' jail Asia 4 dead, 30 missing after ferry sinks on way to Indonesia's Bali At the end of the video, an old lady is seen in the background doing a handstand. As she flips, her legs and body merge to become a misshapen blob, before she lands on her feet and returns to normal. 'I was so shocked... I explained to the auntie that the video was (made by AI) 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)',' she added. The elderly woman insisted that she did not see any comments under the video to indicate that it was fake, and added she wanted to sue the 'TV Rakyat' journalist. The worker said she again tried to remind the woman that the journalist in the video did not exist. When asked why they did not check with their children before visiting the non-existent attraction, the couple said they were too embarrassed. In her post, the worker made a plea for people to check on the places their parents intend to visit during their travels. Since the incident went viral on social media, it has gained nationwide attention, with the local police urging the public to be wary of viral content online and to verify the authenticity of such videos. Acting Baling police chief Deputy Superintendent Ahmad Salimi Md Ali told the New Straits Times (NST) on July 3 that they have not received any official complaints. However, he stressed that no such cable car project exists in the disctrict. He added that preliminary checks have confirmed the video was entirely fabricated. '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,' he said.
