Mystery Woman’s Holiday Video Sparks Viral Frenzy: Is What You’re Seeing Real or an Illusion?

Ever found yourself squinting at a video, wondering if what you’re seeing is real or just some slick AI trickery? You’re not alone—turns out, most of us can’t tell the difference anymore. Enter Madeline Salazar, a tech wizard and AI whisperer who’s been blowing minds on TikTok and YouTube with her ‘Real or AI’ challenges. Picture this: Madeline cartwheels over a wall that isn’t even there, then morphs a chic lime green purse into a potato—yes, a potato! It’s utterly baffling and, honestly, a bit spooky. As AI blends seamlessly into our digital lives, Madeline is training her followers to spot the real from the artificial, one jaw-dropping clip at a time. Think you’ve got what it takes to outsmart AI? Dive in and test your savvy. LEARN MORE

In a world where artificial intelligence is becoming an increasingly integral part of everyday life, the question of whether we can tell the difference between real life and AI seems more important than ever.

If one tech expert’s videos are to go by, however, most of us definitely can’t.

AI expert and content creator Madeline Salazar regularly leaves people feeling like their ‘brain is broken’ with her ‘Real or AI’ clips on TikTok and YouTube.

Her latest TikTok video shows Madeline cartwheeling over a wall that doesn’t exist, before turning a stunning lime green purse into a potato. It truly is mind blowing, and a little bit terrifying at the same time.

Reckon you’d be able to tell the difference? You can have a go here…

Madeline, who posts from the handle @MadSal on TikTok, points to various different items and asks her followers if they think they’re real or AI and the majority of the time, they’re AI.

One TikTok user commented: “We’re so cooked,” while another wrote: “I am definitely getting scammed when I’m older.”

Meanwhile, others were quick to comment saying they were starting to be able to spot the difference after watching a number of Madeline’s other videos.

“This is the first video I’ve nailed, you’re training us,” one commented, while another added: “I’m getting better and then the next video I’m not.”

Madeline asked her followers which door was real (@MadSal/TikTok)

One follower raised their own concerns about the impact of AI-generated videos and what lawmakers should be doing to protect people from fake content.

“Without clear labelling in every AI generated video, deception and disinformation are at risk,” they wrote.

“A legal requirement for visible AI labelling is urgently needed. Transparency protects the truth in the digital world.”

While there is currently no legal requirement to declare when a video has been AI generated in the UK, platforms such as YouTube do require users to accurately label content when it contains realistic altered media, like deepfakes, voice cloning, or digitally generated scenes that appear lifelike.

Her videos leave people questioning reality (@MadSal/TikTok)

Consumer law does put a ban on misleading practices, meaning AI-generated content cannot be used to trick viewers into believing they’re seeing something that is real.

On her YouTube channel, Madeline teaches her followers how to create their own AI generated content and how to implement it into videos, as well as creating clones and deepfake videos of herself.

In the meantime, you can train yourself on what is and isn’t real by watching her TikToks.