In September 2024, a video allegedly showing a person holding a large "Maine cat" — a breed known as the Maine Coon — was shared on X .
The same video was posted to an Instagram account called "Mainecoon Cat Lovers," where it garnered over 11,000 likes. One Instagram user commented, "Oh my goodness he's beautiful," while another said, "So majestic."
However, multiple users across social media voiced suspicions that the post was fake. "Unfortunately it is AI. The plastic thing on the boxes behind him gives it away," posted one person on X. Another wrote , "Ai generated. Look at the bottom right."
Indeed, their suspicions about the video being AI-generated were correct. A Community Note attached to the post on X pointed users to the Better Business Bureau's article about how to spot AI photos and videos . One of the tips read: "Look out for strange shadows, blurs or light flickers."
Careful viewers can see what appears to be a plastic bag moving unnaturally in the background, as do some materials hanging in the foreground in the bottom right.
Further, we traced the origin of the video in question to the Instagram account of Numan Khan , who originally posted the video using hashtags like "#aiart" and "#aiartcommunity." The post has over 30,000 comments.
The same account featured similar videos of alleged "lab grown cats" that are identifiable as AI-generated.
Khan is a Manchester-based artist who works at a company called Golden Rabbit Studios, incorporated in May 2024, according to business information provider Endole , with Khan billed as director.
The company's Instagram bio reads: "A multidisciplinary creative studio specialising in 3D motion/imagery, graphic design, AI assets, rebranding and fashion editorial content."
Despite this particular Maine Coon being fake, the breed is known for its large size. According to Guinness World Records , the record-holder for the longest domestic cat ever was the very real Stewie, a Maine Coon that clocked in at 48.5 inches — over four feet — a record that remains despite his death in 2013 .
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