Will Smith's Crowd Video: AI or Cringe?

Will Smith's European Tour Video Sparks AI Concerns

A recent video shared by Will Smith on social media platforms depicts large gatherings of enthusiastic fans during his European tour. The accompanying text expresses his appreciation, stating his enjoyment of connecting with audiences and acknowledging their support.

Fan Displays and Initial Reactions

Within these substantial crowds, numerous fans are seen holding signs demonstrating their affection for Smith. One particularly poignant sign indicates that his music provided solace during a battle with cancer. However, a closer examination of the video reveals anomalies.

Initially appearing authentic, the footage exhibits digitally altered faces, unnatural hand positions, and generally augmented features throughout the clips. This has led to accusations from viewers that the crowd scenes were artificially created using AI technology.

Reputational Risk and the Challenge of Verification

This situation presents a challenge for Smith, who has already faced public scrutiny following past controversies. Utilizing AI to exaggerate concert attendance or fabricate stories of fans benefiting from his music would be widely considered unacceptable.

Despite these concerns, it’s likely the fans themselves are genuine. Determining whether content is AI-generated remains unreliable, contributing to the current proliferation of misinformation online.

Evidence Suggests a Mixed Approach

Tech blogger Andy Baio has highlighted that Smith previously shared photos and videos from the tour featuring some of the same fans and signs seen in the disputed video. These earlier posts show no indication of synthetic manipulation.

However, when incorporated into the new video, these same images appear to have been processed using AI. It appears Smith’s team may have combined authentic footage with AI-generated visuals, using real crowd photos as source material, complicating interpretation.

Public Perception and Timing

It’s unlikely that social media users will thoroughly investigate past posts to verify the authenticity of individual fan experiences. The prevailing perception will likely be that Smith is presenting fabricated footage, a move that many would find deeply disingenuous.

The timing is particularly unfortunate, coinciding with YouTube’s testing of a feature designed to enhance the clarity of Shorts videos using “traditional machine learning technology.” This feature inadvertently made Smith’s YouTube Short appear even less realistic.

YouTube's Response

YouTube creator liaison Rene Ritchie has announced that the platform will soon offer creators the option to disable this enhancement feature, responding to negative feedback.

The Ethics of Digital Enhancement

An argument can be made that Smith’s team simply employed AI to generate more visually appealing social media content from photographs, a practice comparable to other forms of video editing. However, public sentiment differs.

The public exhibits greater resistance to generative AI compared to established creative tools like autotune or Photoshop. Even with those tools, fans can be alienated by perceived dishonesty.

Trust and Authenticity

If concertgoers discover that a performer’s recordings are heavily reliant on autotune, they may feel deceived. Similarly, editing imperfections from a model’s skin in an advertisement can be seen as misleading.

Rebuilding audience trust after a breach is difficult, even for a well-established figure like Will Smith, the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”