Elderly M'sian couple travel from KL to Perak after AI video misled them about awesome cable car ride

An elderly couple made the trip from Kuala Lumpur to Pengkalan Hulu, Perak, in Malaysia to ride a cable car they had seen in a Facebook video — only to find out that the video was generated by artificial intelligence (AI).

Elderly couple excited about cable car ride

According to New Straits Times, in a viral post on Threads by user @dyaaaaaaa._ on Instagram, the user recounted how an elderly couple had checked into the hotel and asked about a "cable car attraction" they had seen from a video.

She said she was baffled when they proceeded to ask her if she had visited the attraction before, and told her that they had made their way from KL for it.

Depending on traffic conditions, it takes about four-and-a-half hours to travel from KL to Pengkalan Hulu, according to Google Maps.

Pengkalan Hulu in Perak is known for its lush greenery.

No such cable car ride exists

The woman informed the elderly couple that the cable car attraction did not exist and that the video they had seen was fake.

She said: "I told them the video was made using AI and it wasn't real. But the elderly woman insisted, saying surely it couldn't be fake as even a reporter appeared in the video."

Still could not believe video fake

The woman tried to break the news gently to them, but they remained unconvinced.

When asked if they had discussed the trip with their children or consulted them beforehand, the elderly couple told the woman that they were too embarrassed to have done so.

According to NST, the woman said the elderly man turned to his wife and asked her, "What do we do now?"

The woman said it was "heartbreaking".

Persons in video also fake

Furthermore, the elderly woman threatened to sue the "journalist" she saw in the video, not realising that the video she had seen was generated using technology.

When the woman told her that the people she had seen in the video were fake and generated using AI, she asked, "How could they do this to people?"

The woman told the elderly couple that "if there were cable cars here, the town would be lively".

"Kuak Skyride"

The video, which has been circulating on social media, showed a segment crafted like a news broadcast with a seemingly credible channel name, "TV Rakyat".

It introduced the "Kuak Skyride", depicting AI-generated scenes of long queues at a "Kuak Skyride Ticket Counter", tourist interviews, a visit to a vintage museum, and a restaurant that offered a panoramic view of the mountains.

It even featured a deer petting zone at the end of the cable car ride.

Take greater care spreading such videos

NST further reported that the woman urged people to be more careful when spreading such content and to remind their family members to verify information before travelling.

The woman also urged people to stay in touch with their elderly parents: "Please ask your parents where they're going. Imagine coming all the way from KL to Perak for something that doesn't even exist."

You can view the full video here:

Top photo via Nurul Afzarina Mokhtar/Facebook