A viral Reddit post (now removed) claiming to reveal internal practices at a food delivery company has been exposed as fabricated, after journalists determined the supposed whistleblower used artificial intelligence to create fake documents and images.
The Reddit user presented himself as an employee of a food delivery platform and alleged the company was exploiting drivers and customers through hidden systems and legal loopholes. The post claimed the author was intoxicated and using public Wi-Fi at a library while publishing detailed accusations about stolen wages and tips.
Claims Gain Rapid Traction Online
The post gained significant attention, reaching Reddit’s front page with more than 87,000 upvotes. It was later shared on Reddit and crossposted to X, where it accumulated over 208,000 likes and more than 36.8 million impressions.
The claims appeared plausible to many readers, partly because DoorDash had previously faced legal action over tip practices, resulting in a $16.75 million settlement. In this case, however, the allegations were not based on real employment or internal access.
Journalist Verification Raises Doubts
Journalist Casey Newton, who publishes the newsletter Platformer, said he contacted the Reddit user directly. The individual later reached out to him on Signal and shared what appeared to be an employee badge from UberEats, along with an 18-page internal document describing the use of artificial intelligence to calculate a so-called desperation score for drivers.
As Newton attempted to verify the material, inconsistencies emerged. He later wrote that the level of detail in the document initially made it appear credible, but further checks revealed that the materials had been generated as part of an AI-driven hoax.
Use Of AI Detection Tools
Newton was able to confirm the image was synthetic using Google’s Gemini, which detected a SynthID watermark embedded in the image. The watermark is designed to persist through cropping, compression, and other forms of image alteration.
Generative AI systems often struggle to identify synthetic media, making verification increasingly difficult for reporters. In this case, the watermark provided a clear signal that the image had been created using AI tools.
Growing Challenges For Fact Checking
Max Spero, founder of Pangram Labs, said the spread of AI-generated content has complicated efforts to distinguish between real and fake material. He told TechCrunch that some companies now pay to generate viral Reddit posts using AI, framing them as organic engagement while inserting brand mentions.
While detection tools can help assess whether text is AI-generated, Spero said they are less reliable for images and video. Even when synthetic content is identified, it often spreads widely before being challenged or removed.
The incident was not isolated. An editor at TechCrunch later told a reporter she initially thought the story referred to a different fabricated Reddit post involving food delivery companies. More than one AI-generated hoax on the same topic had gone viral over the same weekend.
Featured image credits: Heute.at
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