As AI gets increasingly advanced, it’s becoming difficult to tell what’s real and what’s not.
Case in point: Basin Creek Retirement Village, a TikTok account with 63,700 followers.
At first appearance, the videos on the account seem to show the fun, enthusiastic, and adorable residents of a thriving retirement village living their best life.
However, the truth is a little sadder.
What is Basin Creek Retirement Village?
Basin Creek Retirement Village first went viral during Halloween, as residents showcased their puntastic costumes, including a ceiling fan (a literal cheerleader for ceilings), a breadwinner (a gold-medallist holding some bread), and someone you can count on (a man with numbers on his shirt).
These videos, which were reshared as a compilation clip on platforms like X, amassed millions of views each. Unlike some AI-generated videos, there aren’t any obvious flaws or telltale signs that they’re actually AI.
Additionally, there are videos that aren’t clearly labelled as AI-generated, leading countless viewers to believe what they’re seeing is real senior citizens.
What do people think of this?
In the comments of these viral TikToks, users expressed their opinions on this use of AI. “If this is AI, this is scary. They can start framing people,” one writes.
“It’s weird that a ‘retirement page’ is all AI,” another added.
“It should be mandatory to put an AI label,” a third wrote, while a fourth asked: “Why is no one realizing it’s AI?”
However, once the AI treatment was clear, social media users weighed in on the situation.
“We’re entering an era where ‘Is this even real?’ has to be the first question for any viral content,” wrote @zeroXhope on X.
“We’re going from ‘is this staged?’ to ‘is this AI?” replied @EasternEmperor. “More like ‘everything is fake unless proven otherwise’,” retorted @FFLS02.
“Generative AI is truly the Pandora’s box that never should have been opened,” warned @morbidity28780.
Basin Creek never hid its AI status
However, it should be worth noting that Basin Creek never hid its AI status. In the TikTok account bio, Basin Creek is described as “a fictional world made with AI & a lot of heart.”
Moreover, on its merch website, the business adds: “This project exists purely for entertainment and creative expression — a small reminder that there’s still plenty left in the world to laugh about. Even if Basin Creek isn’t real, the laughter (and the merch) absolutely are.”
As of this story’s publishing, the Basin Creek account is still live and actively posting on TikTok, but to much smaller fanfare with every update.
The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s newsletter here.
