Police in Ireland have stepped in to reassure the public after alarming AI-generated images of a character resembling Dr Seuss’ Cat in the Hat spread widely online
Police have been compelled to issue a statement following the emergence of disturbing images that seemingly depicted someone dressed as Dr Seuss’ Cat in the Hat menacing a residential area.
The unsettling photographs surfaced from Limerick in Ireland, showing an eerie cat-like figure lurking through streets and loitering in residents’ driveways, sparking concern among both locals and social media users. Fortunately for those left unnerved, Gardaí officials have now confirmed the pictures are fabricated and were in fact artificially generated by an unidentified hoaxer.
The images, which initially surfaced on Facebook though were believed at the time to have come from photo-sharing platform Snapchat, were paired with bogus and deceptive claims that officers were looking into the sinister real-world cartoon character, the Irish Mirror reports.
The prank wasn’t confined to Limerick either, with doctored images of the figure appearing in locations including Glanmire, Cork, Cahir, Tipperary, Curracloe, Wexford, and Broadford Park in Dublin, all contributing to the mounting panic online.
Notably, one regional police force even deemed it necessary to tackle the matter head-on, issuing a firm statement to reassure residents that the entire episode was complete nonsense.
A spokesperson for Wexford Garda stated: “In an unusual turn of events we are hearing a lot about an illusive Dr Seuss character doing the rounds online, apparently causing havoc in neighbourhoods and towns across the country.
“Fortunately, we can rule out the issue, which is essentially an AI prompt that places the character into images/videos of familiar places. To be clear, the Cat in the Hat was not in your driveway while you were out and he is not currently hiding out in Curracloe.”
Remarkably, this isn’t the first occasion officers have been forced to issue alerts about misleading AI-generated trends.
Last year, police forces across the UK became involved after a viral stunt featuring a fabricated “AI homeless man” supposedly invited into people’s homes resulted in numerous emergency calls from individuals who’d been duped by what turned out to be an elaborate wind-up.
Dorset Police disclosed they’d taken a call from one “extremely concerned parent” who’d been convinced by their daughter that an unknown man was present in their family residence while she was home alone, only for officers to establish the entire incident was an AI-generated hoax.
A force spokesperson advised: “: “If you receive a message and pictures similar to the above antics from friends or family, please attempt to check it isn’t a prank before dialling 999.”
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