UDHAGAMANDALAM: Panic gripped residents after photos and videos of two tigers in a tea estate near Coonoor went viral on social media platforms a few days ago. Inquiries by the forest department revealed that the photos and the videos of the tigers were created by a 15-year-old boy using an AI (artificial intelligence) tool.Wild animals wandering into residential areas near Coonoor have become common recently. Residents panicked after the AI-generated photographs and videos of the two tigers were widely circulated on social media. Inquiries revealed that the minor boy had uploaded the images and videos after creating them.The forest department counselled the boy against creating and circulating such misleading images and videos and let him go with a warning.Coonoor forest ranger Veeramani said, “Our personnel inquired the boy. On the instruction of our higher officials, he was warned not to repeat this. Severe action will be taken against anyone who indulge in activities like this which create a panic among the public.”
