SHAH ALAM - A series of viral videos showing futuristic "flying shoes" called Aerofoot, allegedly unveiled at "Gitex 2029," have sparked worldwide fascination, but the clips are not real.
The so-called invention has been confirmed to be an artificial intelligence (AI) creation by digital artist Jyo John Mulloor.
When videos of people seemingly levitating on high-tech "Aerofoot" shoes began circulating on social media on Oct 21, the internet was quick to believe that the future of human mobility had finally arrived.
The first viral clip, shared by the Dubai-based digital artist showed a man wearing shoes resembling skates. Standing on a small podium, he slowly lifts off the ground, hovers two feet in the air, spins and lands; all while a crowd of men in kanduras cheered him on.
The post has since gained hundreds of thousands of likes. Another video showed models striding confidently on a runway wearing glowing, futuristic shoes, with the words "Aerofoot: Future in Motion" and "Gitex 2029" flashing on screen.
A third clip depicted a woman in formal attire levitating backwards while a large screen behind her read "Aerofoot" with the tagline "Future in Motion."
These videos quickly went viral, leading many to wonder if flying shoes were truly being developed or if a major tech breakthrough had been announced at the Gitex Global exhibition, one of the world’s largest annual tech events hosted in Dubai.
However, the truth behind Aerofoot was far less futuristic and far more digital. The videos were AI-generated concepts, not footage of real technology.
According to his Behance bio, Mulloor is "a contemporary digital artist and surrealist" who founded JJM Studio, which he described on Facebook as a "visionary digital art studio."
On LinkedIn, Mulloor listed himself as an "AI trainer" and notes that JJM Studio specialised in AI-powered creations that pushed the boundaries of modern art and storytelling.
Mulloor’s creations, including Aerofoot, were examples of how AI-generated imagery can blur the line between imagination and innovation, leading many online users to mistake digital art for real-life inventions.
Despite the lifelike quality of his work, no such flying shoes existed anywhere in the world and Aerofoot remained purely a product of digital imagination.
While Mulloor’s artistic vision of Aerofoot as "the future in motion" captured global attention, the dream of humans flying unaided through wearable tech will, for now, remain in the realm of science fiction.