Posted a video of making a 'fruit tart topped with all the mountain nuts and berries', but was criticized that the thumbnail 'looks AI-generated': 'Has it become an era where anything unfamiliar looks like AI?'

What happened

A creator named 野草研究所 (Wild Plant Research Lab) posted a video called "Fruit tart with every wild tree fruit on top." The thumbnail showed a tart with many strange-looking fruits. Some people said it was made with generative AI. The creator said the photo was fully real, not AI.

Key facts

• The video was posted on October 23, 2026, and the post about the AI doubts was made on October 25, 2026.
• The fruit in the photo is sarunashi, a small wild kiwi-like fruit that grows in Japan.
• The post got about 8,268 views and many replies.

Why people got confused

Viewers pointed to several things. The colors were very bright and high in contrast. The light looked fake. Cut fruit faced the camera in a neat way. Some fruits, like walnuts and akebi, were still whole on the plate. The plate looked like clay rather than a tart. Many people said the photo had too much going on, which is common in AI images.

Why it matters

The story shows a bigger problem. When people do not know something, they may think it must be fake. The creator said the natural world is just as strange as AI images. Some commenters said AI tools have made it harder to tell what is real. Others said that criticizing AI use may just push people to hide when they use it.

What to watch

• Whether more creators get called "AI" when they post real photos.
• How people learn to check if a photo is real, such as looking at the source or the creator.
• Whether online debates about AI use make creators hide how they make their content.