Too many people are convinced “The Simpsons” predicted the Coldplay couple, sparking a discussion about media literacy in the age of AI
We need to talk about media literacy after an AI-generated image convinced people that The Simpsons predicted the Coldplay affair.
The viral image depicted characters in Simpsons style that looked a lot like Astronomer executives Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot, the pair caught cheating on their spouses at a recent Coldplay concert. But it's not real.
The Simpsons is notorious for predicting world events, but this wasn't one of them. The number of people who took the image at face value once again sparked fears about AI-related misinformation.
The Simpsons did not predict the "Coldplay Couple"
If you missed it, the awkward moment in which the tech executives were caught cuddling with the wrong person inspired memes across the internet last week. Some of these memes featured characters from The Simpsons, but things escalated over the weekend.
As early as July 18, people started spreading the AI image of the so-called "Coldplay Couple," claiming that The Simpsons predicted the embarrassing incident.
"So what's up with The Simpsons always getting these things right?" asked X user @Smitty68WF2.
"Is there anything the Simpsons don’t know!!" wrote @BarneySimon on July 19th.
One video post by @MelissaRedpill got a Community Notes disclaimer explaining that the image is fake.
"Photo used as evidence that The Simpsons predicted the Cold Play Kiss Cam incident is AI," the note explains. "One episode did feature a kiss cam but didn’t depict circumstance consistent with the recent incident."
Adding to the confusion, another episode from 2009 did feature Coldplay, but only to joke that nobody goes to their concerts anymore.
Why are so many people falling for the fake image?
It's time we started incorporating AI detection in our conversations about media literacy.
While there may not be any clear visual tells in the Simpsons Coldplay Couple image, the intense similarities between this and the real thing should have been a red flag. The fact that so many people fell for it is concerning, to say the least.
At least some X users thought to question it, including @RebelsPart2.
"I don't own the series on disc, or have Disney+," they wrote. "Can someone confirm this? Did the Simpsons really do the Coldplay affair?"
User @Mansanpk2009 correctly commented that it was "probably AI-generated this connection with Simpson [sic]. AI is Satanic now."
Two days later, @outfotime gained over 17 million views with a post showing a screenshot of a video of someone who fell for it, asking, "How can you be this dumb."
Some of the blame probably has to do with certain age groups who don't understand new tech as well as others.
"MY DAD FELL FOR THIS AND HE USES A TIKTOK LIKE APP IM SOBBING," reported @sinkiterkriter.
Of course, media literacy also includes spotting rage bait. User @umgasimzade__ pointed out that the real fools are those who think that the TikToker in question was fooled.
"They aren't dumb, they know exactly what they're doing, so actual dumb people can give them engagement, whether they agree with them or not," they said.
The internet was once a simple place.
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