A video has gone viral online showing a nimble goat in Brazil climbing onto a power line to nibble on a clump of grass caught on the wires.
The clip of the goat showcasing its acrobatic skills on a high-voltage power line—nonchalantly munching on a tuft of grass tangled in the cables—has electrified the internet. The incident was said to have taken place in the Brazilian state of Ceará.
The incredible footage, complete with video “evidence,” was widely shared not only on social media (with over 100 million views on TikTok alone), but also reported by major media outlets, which claimed that rescue workers arrived on the scene to help the animal safely return to the ground.
But this is a clear example of how easily a convincing fake can be fed to the masses today. It was soon revealed that the viral video had no basis in reality—it was generated by artificial intelligence. While in the past, AI-generated content often gave itself away with glaring mistakes (a goat might have had five legs just a couple of years ago), modern neural networks now produce videos that are flawless and eerily realistic.
The moral of the goat story is troubling: we are becoming increasingly defenseless against AI’s ability to reshape reality and manipulate our perception. Deepfakes are now so expertly crafted that we’re more likely to doubt real footage than question something entirely fabricated by AI.
And while we marvel at the antics of a non-existent goat, the sponsors and driving forces behind widespread AI adoption are already strategizing how to permanently blur the line between myth and reality—for their own benefit.
