In late September and early October 2024, a black-and-white photograph circulated on social media purportedly showing the "last giant silicon tree" in 1899.
The image's caption referenced a theory that certain geological formations are the remains of ancient giant "silicon trees," though there is no evidence backing this claim.
The picture appeared on numerous other social media platforms, including Instagram, X, YouTube, TikTok and iFunny.
One Instagram user asked: "Would there be floods if there were more trees this big?" while a Facebook user expressed skepticism: "No way a tree that size was cut so perfectly and smoothly with the tools of that era!!"
In short, because the photo in question was created using artificial intelligence software, we have rated this image as a fake. The accounts sharing the picture also provided no details about the location of the trees, nor any sources to back up their claims.
The photo was originally shared (archived) by a TikTok account called The AI Experiment. It appeared in a video compilation featuring several similar animated images. The post included hashtags such as "#ai" and "#aiart."
The TikTok post included a badge saying the media in the video was AI-generated. Likewise, in the comments, the creator acknowledged it was indeed created using AI software.
(TikTok user @the_ai_experiment)
The AI Experiment account confirmed via email the image featured in the May 2024 video was indeed their creation and was made using generative AI programs MidJourney and Pika Labs.
Meanwhile, a Google search for "the last giant silicon tree 1899" produced no evidence of the tree existing, aside from results showing the image in question.
Multiple visual clues also pointed to digital manipulation, such as the distorted figures and the unnaturally shaped tree in the background (see image below).
(Facebook user Historic Heirlooms)
For further reading, in July 2017 we investigated whether a photograph showed the remains of an ancient tree trunk measuring more than two miles wide.