Fake news on social media can be deceptive . . . it can be dangerous . . . and now, it can be DELICIOUS.
Some images have been going viral online showing new PURPLE APPLES. They have vibrant purple skin . . . purple flesh . . . and crazy people online are so hooked, they’ve been desperately trying to track them down.
The post says the “Purple Apple” originates from Saskatchewan, Canada . . . thrives in its chilly climate . . . boasts a flavor profile reminiscent of cinnamon and banana . . . and they go by the nickname “Canadian Grapes.”
It also says they’re “prized ingredients in the creation of purple applesauce, celebrated by indigenous Saskatchewan peoples . . . and [they] embody the rich tapestry of Saskatchewan’s cultural and culinary heritage.”
The problem is: They don’t exist. The images are A.I.-generated, and the stuff about thriving in chilly climates and rich tapestries is nonsense. (Though, there actually IS a real place in Canada known as Saskatchewan.) (???)
Orchards and nurseries up in Saskatchewan say they HAVE been getting calls about the purple apples . . . from apple-enthusiasts online who were duped.
One local horticulturist says, quote, “It looks amazing. It would be so fun. But, unfortunately, it is not real . . . usually [the people who ask] feel a little bit silly that they thought it was real in the first place.”
(CTV News)
(The account is an artistic feed that posts surrealist A.I.-generated images, and so it isn’t hard to figure out that they’re not real. And the purple apple post even has hash-tags like #plantasy and #unnaturalistAI.)
(But obviously, there are some people who will fall for ANYTHING they see on the internet, so none of this is shocking.)