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Did a lion really spare a sleeping man in India? What we know about viral video
A video showing a lion approaching a man sleeping on a footpath is not real, it was created using artificial intelligence.
A viral video that appeared to show a lion sniffing a man asleep on a footpath has captured millions of views across social media, sparking shock, admiration, and humour. But experts have now confirmed: the clip is AI-generated.
The footage shows a large lion calmly approaching a man sleeping outside a shuttered shop, sniffing him, and walking away without harm. Its seemingly real-life danger and the man’s unflinching calm drew widespread attention.
One widely circulated post warned, “This video showing a lion sniffing human has around 7 million views. This is AI-generated video. Imagine how AI can be used to confuse people. And now imagine AI is still at nascent stage!!”
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Fact-checkers and visual experts later debunked the clip, citing telltale signs of AI generation, including inconsistent lighting, unnatural shadows, texture glitches, and blending issues between the animal and its surroundings.
Parveen Kaswan, IFS officer, shared the video with the caption: “This video showing a lion sniffing a human has around 7 million views. This is an AI-generated video. Imagine how AI can be used to confuse people. And now imagine AI is still at a nascent stage!!”
Face check
D-Intent Data conducted a fact-check and confirmed that the viral video is not real but an AI-generated creation. The clip was originally uploaded by a Brazilian YouTube channel known for posting AI-generated content. Several visual inconsistencies, such as distorted text on shop signs, the lack of mattress indentation when the tiger steps on it, and unnatural-looking legs of the sleeping man, further point to its artificial nature. Additionally, AI detection tools have verified that the video was created using artificial intelligence.
Take a look at the post:
Many took to the comments to react. A user wrote, “Every AI generated video should have a mandatory watermark that cannot be removed.”
Another added, “The giveaway was the shop names, which are in Hindi. The only place where you can see lions roaming around like this is in Gujarat, and most of the shops there have their names written in Gujarati.”
