this post was submitted on 10 Feb 2026
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hmmm
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For things that are "hmmm".
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This is why I hate AI. I can no longer just enjoy images like this one I have to take a moment to doubt it. Like every cat/pet video, now.
For anyone still wondering, this is natural tree growth. Anything attached to the trunk eventually gets grown over TheThing-style and it looks exactly like that.
I mean maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but here's a photo of another tree near Wolf Lake, New York doing the same thing.
https://wendywordage.wordpress.com/2016/09/04/wolf-lake-new-york-2016/
See? We can’t have nice things anymore.
Also there are no signs that end with "CHILDREN" with that design. At the very least the exposed bottom half should say "children present" if the top half is "beware" or "caution".
The only way to know at a glance that this is AI is to know about road sign design.
I can't speak for the veracity of the image but it didn't take me more than 30 seconds to find the sign. Of course "Slow Children" has been the butt of Internet jokes so it was the first thing I thought of.
https://www.smartsign.com/child-safety-signs/slow-children-sign/sku-k-2002?srsltid=AfmBOootT0wa_aeUbH6NwxIbRs62lShzm-tjqv7ecGWMCblYnrYbciUG
Can we not simply enjoy the idea of crushing children with all the negativity. I mean I hate AI shit too, but the Ents will rise again!