You may have seen those trending images and clips of the emotional support kangaroo at an airport. You might have contemplated whether the video was created by AI or if you were misled while scrolling quickly. We are here to verify that the viral emotional support kangaroo was indeed generated by AI.

Here is the video in question.

How can we determine it’s AI? First, take into account the video’s content. An undomesticated animal is serving as a service animal, calmly holding a boarding pass and gazing at the camera like Jim Halpert from The Office. That isn’t real. Second, the original was uploaded to the Instagram account @InfiniteUnreality, known for sharing AI-generated and VFX material.

That didn’t prevent the video from circulating widely online. Most notably, it was shared by the X account @DramaAlert, where it has accumulated 73 million views. Reactions online were a mix of people joyfully sharing it, questioning the airport scene, and making jokes. To be fair, some individuals also pointed out that the video was created by AI. Community Notes on X eventually acknowledged that it was AI-generated as well.

Needless to say, for those who were deceived, AI-generated videos are becoming significantly more convincing, even if the scenario itself — an emotional support kangaroo — was difficult to accept. Thus, as always in the era of AI, be wary of forgeries.