An AI-generated advertisement left thousands of Dubliners waiting for a Halloween parade that never took place.

Thousands of people gathered on the streets of Dublin to attend a Halloween parade that never happened, following an announcement generated by artificial intelligence promoting the fictional event. The website My Spirit Halloween advertised the nonexistent Macnas Halloween Parade, supposedly scheduled to take place from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the city streets. News of the parade quickly spread online, even ranking on Google.

As a result, a large number of people dressed in their Halloween costumes and waited for several hours in the street, leaving space for the parade to pass. While it's a considerate gesture, it is also somewhat sad.

The situation led the Irish police to issue a message urging attendees to "disperse safely." A representative of the police force clarified that "contrary to the information circulating online, there is no Halloween parade planned in downtown Dublin tonight."

Local councilor Janice Boylan expressed her disappointment at what happened. "Everyone is trying to enjoy a fun and safe Halloween. The idea of having a parade sounded great," she commented. "I know a lot of people showed up. It’s a great shame."

The announcement on My Spirit Halloween has been removed, but the question arises as to why it appeared in the first place. It has been noted that this site originates from Pakistan and publishes various AI-generated content, including the announcement that sparked this incident. This particular content went viral through TikTok and Google, leading to the rapid spread of this fictitious news.

It’s astonishing how a simple AI-generated post, likely created in Pakistan, led thousands of people to the streets, thousands of miles away. Sometimes circumstances remind us of the old saying: "May you live in interesting times."