Oh, the irony: Netflix allegedly uses AI images in a true crime documentary

Netflix’s latest true crime documentary, What Jennifer Did, has come under fire for allegedly using AI-generated images. Released on April 10, the documentary centers around Jennifer Pan, convicted of a shocking kill-for-hire plot targeting her own parents.

You can even spot one of the problematic images in the trailer (the one I screenshotted above). Show viewers noticed this, and other images, around the 28-minute mark of the movie. Here, Pan’s high school friend describes her as a “bubbly, happy, confident, and very genuine” person. A series of seemingly relevant photos accompany these words but at a closer look…

The image in question shows Pan flashing peace signs, but just look at those hands! They look like they came straight from the early days of Midjourney. It’s hard to tell AI and photos apart today, but this one’s so painfully obvious if you ask me. Further, the viewers’ inspection revealed two additional photos featuring Pan in the same red dress, also showing signs of AI manipulation. While the exact editing process remains unclear, experts suggest the producers might have used a single source image to fabricate additional “photos” through AI.

How ironic!

You see the irony too, right? The use of manipulated imagery in a documentary? This raises some serious ethical concerns.

True crime thrives on presenting a factual narrative, and visuals play a crucial role in storytelling. When those visuals are obviously altered, they completely undermine the documentary’s credibility. This can also potentially skew the viewer’s perception of the case, creating bias and misconceptions.

Netflix has been silent so far regarding the accusations. Sadly, they’re also not the first to come under fire over using AI imagery in a movie, but the problem is that this movie was supposed to depict actual events and people. Sigh.

via [PetaPixel]

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