An AI image created to pull on the heart strings of the internet has caused quite the stir on Threads. The image depicts a female veteran in a wheel chair with the caption “Happy Birthday to me”, fooling many people that use the social media platform.

AI image story

The creator of this AI image (sometimes referred to as AI photography) is unknown. That’s because their full feed, plus profile image is entirely AI. The image itself is of what society would consider to be a traditionally attractive woman, who has served in the army and bears the scars of her service.

It’s sure to trigger emotions, including sadness and attraction. In turn, this type of post generates likes and comments, feeds the algorithm and boosts the profile of the person behind the post.

And it’s fooling many. One user responded “Happy Birthday to you Aleesik! Your gorgeous! Thank you for your military service!”, while another wrote, “Oh happy birthday precious you're very beautiful thank you for your service heal well God bless America and the beauty within it.”

AI image is not a slow news day

Some may believe reporting on this AI image fiasco suggests a slow news day. It’s not. In fact, I believe this type of content tops the list of the most important things we need to focus on in the photo industry.

First, it’s extremely disrespectful to the men and women who have served for their country, and whose lives have changed due to the serious injuries they have as a consequence of going to war.

Secondly, it’s disrecptpful to the photographers who have had the difficult task of photographing real war veterans to tell their stories. Those types of portrait shoots put pressure on the emotional energies of both the photographer and the subject.

And, lastly, it’s another example of the attack on truth. It’s clear the Threads user wanted people to believe this was a real photograph. If they didn’t, they would state it was an AI image. But, they know being transparent would devalue the post, reduce the amount of engagement and not give them the narcissistic scratch they so desire.

If we don’t call this out as often as possible, we will make it easier for people to fool the public, especially as AI image software improves.

There’s hope

Thankfully, many people were savvy to the reality of the situation and knew they were looking at a fake photograph. One user suggested, “Meta should use this as a honeypot to catch and ban bots”. Another user said, “STOP LIKING AND SHARING AI-GENERATED PHOTOS”. Many others noted they had reported the post, which has already gathered over 11,000 likes.

As society, and as the photography community, we need tackle this digital battle and ensure truth is victorious. We cannot take it lightly and have a “meh” attitude. Photography has always been one of the best sources of truth, and if people are piggybacking on that while being dishonest about what they present, then that’s not okay and we shouldn’t lay down lightly.

What do you think of the current state of AI images? Do you think it’s a serious issue? Let me know in the comments. Thanks for reading.

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