Immediately after the landing of Artemis 2, AI-generated images of the recovery spread online. We have seen this before, with the kidnapping of Maduro or the mass protests against ICE raids – fake images of real events. While these synthetic images fictionalize reality, they are not necessarily meant as disinformation. Rather, they both illustrate and cater to widespread expectations. In our hypervisualized world of ubiquitous networked cameras, we expect to see perfect images of whatever is happening immediately. #AIslop delivers.
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Compared to the actual footage, which in this case, NASA shared on a Flickr account, the AI versions are often more dramatic, cinematic, and optimized for social media clickbait. Perhaps we will become accustomed to these types of images and recognize them for what they are: generic, more or less realistic visualizations of headlines and trending topics, not unlike earlier forms of imagery.
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@bildoperationen what i fear is that the ubiquity of these synthetic images actually erodes our ability to distinguish them from photographic pictures, and feeds the expectations you describe.