Thousands of people in Dublin were caught up in a Halloween hoax this past week when an AI-generated article led them to believe in a nonexistent parade lining the city's streets. The erroneous announcement originated from MySpiritHalloween.com, a spooky season site that included an article purportedly detailing an event that ultimately didn't take place. The crowd, which gathered in anticipation of festivities that would allegedly feature celebrities like Cristiano Ronaldo and Mr. Beast, used social media to express confusion over the lack of parade infrastructure, such as police presence and barricades. According to a statement on MySpiritHalloween, a content writer assigned to review articles missed this fake listing before it was later corrected to indicate cancellation.
In a report by KXAN, Nazir Ali, owner of the website, expressed his disappointment with the media's portrayal of the incident and claims that it was a misunderstanding rather than a deliberate deception. MySpiritHalloween.com, said to primarily use human-curated content with only a 10-20% contribution from AI, was thrust into the spotlight after managing to secure a top spot on Google search rankings. Ali disclosed in an interview conducted with WIRED this "80% involvement" from actual humans behind the AI content could be the key to their prominent online presence.
However, skepticism about the site's authenticity arose as Ciarán O’Connor, a senior analyst with the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, pointed out that, while some events on the site were legitimate, it also hosted fake reviews and generated content through AI, which might mislead visitors. MSN furthered the conversation with O’Connor’s analysis suggesting a lack of editorial oversight at MySpiritHalloween. Notably, during the night of the phantom event, Dublin Airport took a swipe at the situation by posting a photo of its empty entrance with the caption: "Our Halloween parade in full flow this evening."
The term "AI slop" sites such as MySpiritHalloween have caused concerns, as these platforms are known for filling their web spaces with low-quality AI content, aimed at exploiting search engine algorithms for monetary gain. These incidents highlight the necessity for internet users to exercise due diligence in verifying the credibility of online sources, particularly when AI can so convincingly blur the lines between fact and fiction, the ghost and the machine.
