Artificial intelligence (AI) is spoiling our joy in cute animal content, from lost pets to heartwarming rescues. Mibbby Butler’s cat Brooklyn went missing and she received what seemed like a miracle photo – only it was an AI-generated deepfake.

The nonprofit We Animals documents cruel practices against animals, but viewers now question if their shocking footage is real or faked by AI. To combat this, the group plans to share more context on how they verify content and use technology to embed provenance data.

Philosopher Oscar Horta warns of far-fetched animal rescues online, which could lead people to doubt legitimate efforts. Researchers are working on guidelines to discourage harmful AI-generated misinformation about animals, while laws in California and the EU mandate tags for AI-created content.

The future may see greater public awareness and tools to verify authenticity, but for now, pet lovers must remain vigilant against the fakes. It’s a bittersweet reality: if we can’t trust an adorable animal photo, what else do we believe?