People are falling for these artificial intelligence (AI)-generated photos of Katy Perry, Rihanna, and more at the Met Gala.
As the celebrities walk down the red carpet, viewers following along on TV or another live stream can watch reassured that what they are seeing is, in fact, real. Those of us following the action on social media can’t be so sure.
That’s because AI technology is now infringing on even the time honored tradition of the Met Gala. Some of it is pretty unbelievable and harmless, like this AI prediction of celebrity outfits ahead of time. None of them look like the real thing.
But some AI-generated images are a bit harder to detect. Like these images of Rihanna and Katy Perry, which are not real photos. One user who shared the photos wrote, “this years met gala so boring that we had to ai katy perry and rihanna onto the carpet cause they are the only two who know how to serve consistently. #MetGala”
Someone else said, “This AI generated pic of Katy Perry at the #MetGala is already going viral with people believing it, to say society is in trouble would be a nice lil understatement.”
A second AI-generated image of Katy Perry is also making the rounds.
One eagle-eyed observer noted that Katy Perry’s X account liked both of the images.
One user joked, “Katy Perry looking in her wardrobe for that AI picture dress #MetGala #MetGala2024”
Another user said the AI looks are winning out. “The fact that these AI generated pictures are eating up the actual looks on the carpet is CRAZY,” they wrote.
While it’s unclear what Perry’s Met Gala plans are, People exclusively learned that Rihanna planned to sit the event out after coming down with the flu. Rihanna planned to attend the event and even told Extra that her look was going to be “real simple.” Many were disappointed by the news as the celeb has earned herself the reputation of being queen of the Met Gala due to her past outfits.
While they might vary in quality at this point, AI-generated deep fakes are on the rise. “According to Northwestern’s Buffett Institute for Global Affairs, Deepfakes are generated by machine-learning algorithms combined with facial-mapping software that can insert the data into digital content without permission.When execution is excellent, the result can bean extremely believable—but totally fabricated—a text, video or audio clip of a person doing or saying something that they did not.”
This is obviously bad for people in politics or international affairs, but it can also be a problem for celebrities, who are often obsessive about protecting their brands. At least one talent agency is hoping to use AI to counter the trend.
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