From broadcaster Maeng Seung-ji to actor Jeong Yoon-min, they are being criticized by internet users for creating unnecessary controversy with images made by artificial intelligence (AI) and for drawing frowns with absurd admonitions.
As Generative AI is used to create various images and videos that are spreading like a trend, some entertainers posted the results without explanation and were caught up in controversy.
First is Jeong Yoon-min. He recently posted on his social media a photo taken with Brad Pitt and wrote, "Unbelievable to meet Bread (Brad Pitt) hyung in the alleys of Bukchon," along with the photo. In the photo, Jeong Yoon-min met Brad Pitt in an alley in Bukchon and took a picture.
Immediately after the photo was posted, debate about its authenticity continued, so Jeong Yoon-min deleted the photo and said, "I'm posting this clarification because so many people asked if Brad came to Korea after seeing the Bukchon photo. To get to the point, it is an image generated by AI."
Jeong Yoon-min added, "I shared it lightly with the intention of raising awareness because it's scary that real people and backgrounds can be made this precisely, but it unintentionally received a lot of attention," and said, "It's really an amazing era that technology has advanced enough for articles to run. Let's be careful, and careful again, so we're not fooled by fake photos."
However, criticism that Jeong Yoon-min's photo and explanation were an absurd admonition has continued. There was no initial explanation that the image used AI, and the photo did not contain any message intended to give a "wake-up call." In that context, the admonition that "let's not be fooled by fake photos" is seen as absurd by many.
Jeong Yoon-min is not the only one caught up in controversy over images or videos generated by AI. Earlier, Maeng Seung-ji was put on the chopping block over a baseball stadium composite video that has recently been trending online.
Maeng Seung-ji posted on her social media on the 8th a short phrase, "Just trend!" along with a video captioned "baseball viewing." The video showed Maeng Seung-ji as if captured in an actual baseball game broadcast. When the team she was supporting did not go as hoped, she made a displeased face and then put her feet on the table.
That video was also the result of AI production. When an internet user asked whether it was real or AI, Maeng Seung-ji admitted, saying, "That's right." However, even if the video was generated by AI, she was criticized for failing to observe basic manners by putting her feet on the table. In fact, many people who showed the video only appeared to be watching and did not put their feet on the table.
In response, Maeng Seung-ji said, "When the baseball stadium AI trend spread, I used the prompt I received to create one and uploaded it. But many articles came out. From a reporter's perspective, attention-grabbing headlines need clicks, so sensationalizing titles is unavoidable, but writing content maliciously and falsely is a witch hunt. I was once the target of a witch hunt, so I had a mentally very hard few years, saw a psychiatrist and exercised while getting through it, but those years were hellishly hard," she said.
Maeng Seung-ji said, "Fortunately my mentality was strong and people around me gave me a lot of love, so I got through it. Witch hunts and sowing discord are extremely violent acts toward people with weak mentalities, and vulnerable people can end up in bad situations. So I see those reporters as very bad, mean, spiteful women. How obnoxious. Write based on facts! Do your job properly. Ah! And most of those articles were by female reporters. Phew~ why are you doing this, stop the witch hunts," she said, voicing her grievance.
Korea is currently enforcing the Basic Act on the Development of Artificial Intelligence and the Establishment of a Trustworthy Foundation, the so-called AI Basic Act, which came into effect on Jan. 22. The AI content labeling obligation is limited to AI businesses, and people who create productions are classified simply as "users" and are excluded from mandatory application, but because entertainers occupy a special position, they need deeper consideration and choices about what impact the AI-produced photos and videos they create will have. Pursuing "trends" without such consideration is unlikely to avoid criticism.
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