Current:Home > FinanceA Winnie the Pooh crockpot captures social media's attention. The problem? It's not real. -NextLevel Wealth Academy
A Winnie the Pooh crockpot captures social media's attention. The problem? It's not real.
View
Date:2025-04-24 21:03:54
Oh, bother!
Winnie the Pooh lovers were recently let down when an AI-generated image of a Winnie the Pooh crockpot being sold at Walmart made its rounds on social media.
Although Walmart does sell a Winnie the Pooh crockpot, this is different from the one going viral online. The doctored image shows a crockpot bearing the smiling face of the Disney character in all his round glory. Covered in flowers, the Pooh-inspired crockpot even includes his iconic red t-shirt and a button in its center to crank the kitchen gadget up.
Walmart did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment but Walmart's website does not appear to have the product in its inventory. The general consensus online from users is that the picture is not authentic. Additionally, the image has all the telltale signs of being fake.
The suspected AI-generated picture was shared on both Reddit and Facebook, leading eager shoppers to ask where they could get their hands on one of the crockpots.
“I want this for my wife,” wrote one Facebook user. “Where can I get it please?”
Another Facebook user inquired about the crockpot as a gift for their granddaughter, adding that she’d love it.
Reddit users talk AI and how to spot fakes
The Winnie the Pooh crockpot also made its way to Reddit. When users began to ask where they could pick one up, others shut it down swiftly.
One Redditor said seeing the crockpot image was the first time they didn’t recognize an image as fake or produced via AI.
But another user said they could tell it was fake because the dial to control the device had nothing on it. And Redditor ariana_mcclair said the letters gave it away.
“AI cannot do letters or numbers correctly or cohesively,” the user wrote. “Look at the ‘goole cure’ and even the squished up ‘Walmart’ on the box in the background.”
The user added that whoever created the image prompted AI to make the crockpot image, then edited “Winnie the Pooh” and crockpot onto the image to make it look real.
Other users were more focused on where to get an actual Winnie the Pooh crockpot since the one pictured wasn’t real.
A quick Google search shows that there are some other Pooh-inspired crockpots on Amazon, BoxLunch, and Walmart as previously mentioned. Whether they will be as much of a hit as the doctored fake crockpot is yet to be seen.
AI images can be dangerous
The crockpot image and others like them have started discussions about how to pursue legal action in more serious cases where AI is used to produce explicit content against those who create them.
Most recently, sexually explicit images of songstress Taylor Swift went viral on X, formerly known as Twitter. As of Monday morning, searches for Taylor Swift on the app lead to a message reading "Something went wrong. Try reloading."
At least 10 states have passed laws banning exploitative deepfake pornography or AI-generated images, audio files or videos with sexual content though, including Texas, Virginia and South Dakota.
There is no federal law regulating it.
Contributing: Taijuan Moorman, Kayla Jimenez, Elizabeth Weise, and Jeanine Santucci
veryGood! (54436)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
- Paris angers critics with plans to restrict Olympic Games traffic but says residents shouldn’t flee
- Kim’s sister rejects US offer of dialogue with North Korea and vows more satellite launches
- UAW will try to organize workers at all US nonunion factories after winning new contracts in Detroit
- Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
- Why Penelope Disick Complained About “Braggy” Kourtney Kardashian’s Pregnancy
- Elton John addresses Britain’s Parliament, urging lawmakers to do more to fight HIV/AIDS
- Suspected drug cartel gunmen abduct 7 Mexican immigration agents at gunpoint in Cancun
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- Venezuela’s planned vote over territory dispute leaves Guyana residents on edge
Ranking
- The Best Stocking Stuffers Under $25
- Mississippi GOP challenges election night court order that kept polls open during ballot shortage
- Actor Jonathan Majors' trial begins in New York City, after numerous delays
- OPEC+ suppliers struggle to agree on cuts to oil production even as prices tumble
- New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
- Burning Man narrowly passes environmental inspection months after torrential rain upended festival
- Netflix's 'Bad Surgeon' documentary dives deep into the lies of Dr. Paolo Macchiarini
- Finland closes last crossing point with Russia, sealing off entire border as tensions rise
Recommendation
Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
Maui officials on standby to stop heavy rains from sending ash into storm drains
'Sex and the City' star Cynthia Nixon goes on hunger strike to call for cease-fire in Gaza
Check your child’s iPhone for this new feature: The warning police are issuing to parents
Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
Why Jamie Lynn Spears Abruptly Quit I'm a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!
Cher Reveals Her Honest Thoughts About Aging
Are quiet places going extinct? Meet the volunteers who are trying to change that.