“In 2003 we set our IM status to ‘LOL FACE’ as a joke. In 2023, we created impossible AI pets and watched them go viral.”
— Wing

April Fool’s Day 2023 wasn’t just jokes—it was a showcase of how far generative AI had come, and how easily it could blur reality.

🐶 Fake Babies Bungee Jumping?

A prankster using AI art tools created a convincing New Zealand website advertising “Bungee Jumping Babies”—complete with photorealistic imagery and safety disclaimers. It felt authentic enough to make folks do a double-take :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}.

🏗️ AI Meets Corporate Pranks

Even big brands got in on the fun. PCL Construction released an “AI‑generated” moon‑based facility milestone graphic referencing lunar PPE—all powered by generative AI to raise a chuckle among their LinkedIn audience :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}.

🤖 The Rise of AI Crossover Pranks

By 2023, April Fool’s jokes weren’t just crafted—they were engineered with AI:

  • Automated marketing-copy generators spun up believable fake products.
  • Voice‑clone “resignation letters” surfaced from nowhere.
  • Visual AI tools surfaced plausible tech announcements—just in time to fool the unwary :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}.

🧓 Wing’s Retro Take

Back in the early 2000s, April Fool’s involved bad Flash intros or spoof MySpace layouts. These were obvious, quirky, amateurish. In 2023? The bar was high—and invisible.

AI made everything too real:

  • Fake babies going upside-down off cliffs? Sure, why not.
  • Corporate posts from the moon? Obviously.

None of it felt like a joke until you looked deeper—and by then, you already shared it.

❓ The Question We Forgot to Ask

When even pranks look real, how do we trust the real stuff?

  • Is an influencer’s promotion real? Or AI‑crafted?
  • Did that heartfelt resignation video actually come from your coworker?
  • Are you falling for fiction wrapped in data?

Artificial intelligence wasn’t just part of the prank—it enabled it.

💡 April Relief?

Some laughs came from the absurdity: bungee‑jumping babies and moon‑zinc helmets. But the real scare was how normal it all felt.

So next April:

  • Check the source.
  • Watch for the reveal.
  • And remember: if an April Fool’s seems too plausible, it probably is.

💬 Seen a prank that fooled you in 2023? Or maybe actually believed a corporate AI hoax? Let me know—share it with me.
Because some jokes are funny on the surface… but terrifying underneath.