TikToker goes viral claiming they’re actually a fake AI character that fooled everyone
TikTok: Curt SkeltonIn one of the most trippy and confusing TikTok viral moments yet, a popular account, Curt Skelton, with over 200,000 followers, has claimed they are in fact an AI character that tricked everyone. Is Curt Skeleton really fake though?
Despite having lots and lots of videos on their account, mostly focused on impressive visual effects and graphics, the latest video from Curt Skelton claims that he is actually AI, and that it was all an elaborate ruse.
The video features a girl called Zahra, who explains that she made Curt by using the DALL-E AI technology and combing Conan O’Brien and Matt Smith’s faces. She then used deep fake and an animation studio to bring the character to life – or at least so they claim.
Is Curt Skelton on TikTok fake?
No – Curt Skelton is in fact real, despite the viral video’s claim to the contrary.
Although it is possible to create entirely AI-based influencers, Curt is not one of them. In the comments on the video, people thought that the girl and Curt were in fact dating, but the TikToker himself clarified it’s another woman named Zahra.
“Way too many people think Zahra looks like my girlfriend Kylie. They don’t look anything like each other,” he commented.
Curt also implied that he is just ‘gaslighting’ viewers, when fellow TikToker Sebastian Durfee said “I love this” Curt replied, “you’re my gaslighting hero.”
Fans fooled by AI Curt Skelton video
However, while it’s only a prank, it certainly fooled a lot of people. In addition to the comments on TikTok, the video also went viral on Twitter, where of course there are no comments from Curt to explain away the joke.
There are a number of tell-tale signs in the video, such as the movement of Curt’s hair, or the mismatching arm position in the motion capture footage.
But, with the popularity of deep fakes such as the fake Tom Cruise on TikTok, people can’t really be blamed for thinking this was also a real deep fake.