LONDON – A new study from the Institute for Digital Pessimism (IDP) reveals that the recent surge in AI-generated videos depicting Britain's urban decay, particularly the now-infamous 'Taxpayer-Funded Sewage Splash Parks,' has inadvertently become a potent national antidepressant. Citizens, initially horrified by the deepfakes, are reportedly experiencing a profound sense of relief upon realizing their actual surroundings, while still grim, have not yet descended into the pixelated hellscapes propagated online.

“We’ve seen a 17.3% uptick in reported ‘It could be worse’ sentiments,” stated Dr. Brenda Piffle, Head of Existential Relief at the IDP. “People are looking at their local, mildly dilapidated community center and thinking, ‘Well, at least it’s not an AI-rendered concrete pool filled with what appears to be industrial runoff and a single, forlorn rubber duck.’ It’s a powerful psychological buffer.”

The viral videos, which often feature crumbling infrastructure, perpetually grey skies, and waterparks designed by what appears to be a committee of depressed municipal planners and a broken calculator, have garnered millions of views. While some initial reactions included genuine outrage and calls for government intervention, a new trend has emerged: a collective sigh of relief.

“Honestly, I thought that was just my local council’s new leisure complex,” confessed Barry 'The Bovine' Bovine, a retired municipal bin lorry enthusiast from Scunthorpe. “Turns out, our actual one only has three broken slides, not seven. Small victories, eh?”

Authorities are now considering commissioning more AI-generated content to manage public expectations, with proposals for 'AI-Enhanced Queue Simulators' and 'Algorithmically-Designed Bureaucratic Nightmares' currently under review.