Does a real video show a cyclist powering a Mercedes on the Autobahn at highway speeds? No, that's not true: The Hive Moderation content detection tool rated the video with a 99.7% likelihood of being AI-generated. Lead Stories found several AI glitches after a visual inspection of this clip.
The video appeared in a post (archived here) published by the @george_geX0 account on X on Aug. 9, 2026. It was captioned:
"Who needs fancy machines when you've got a little creativity? 😂
This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Image source: post by @george_geX0 on X.)
Lead Stories uploaded a seven-second clip from the video to Hive Moderation (archived here). The detection tool found the video had a 99.7% likelihood of being AI-generated (pictured below).
(Image source: Hive Moderation.)
Mechanical Inconsistencies
The 24-second video has four clips. The first clip shows a view from behind the cycle-powered car (below left). The right leg of the cyclist extends slightly beyond the side panels of the car. As they pedal, their foot passes on the outside of the car's door jamb. The chain drive is on the exterior of the car. Behind the cyclist the chain drives a single sprocket mounted on the exterior of the rear wheel -- a setup which would require superhuman strength. However, in front of the cyclist the chain drive does something impossible -- a single length of chain enters a hole in the doorpost, never to return. The second clip shows a direct sideview of the cyclist. Now his crankset is inside the car, his foot does not pass on the outside of the door jamb, and it is not clear how the chain on the outside of the car is functioning (below right).
(Image source: @george_geX0 post on X.)
The third clip introduces a mysterious loop of chain unrelated to the human cyclist. The AI animation contains a glitch. The upper and lower lengths of the chain should move in opposite directions as the gears turn, but here both lengths move toward the smaller gear and neither gear is shown turning. The GIF below has been slowed down to show the reality-defying chain drive.
(Image source: Lead Stories GIF from @george_geX0 post on X.)
In the fourth clip there is another glitch in the way the chain is rendered on the rear-wheel gear. The cogs of the gear are not pictured (maybe there is a motion blur), but the chain appears to fit over the top of the gear's cogs as would be expected. The lower length of chain is passing behind the gear. When a bicycle chain is not properly aligned with the gear, it falls off.
(Image source: @george_geX0 post on X.)
