Will Smith faced criticism this week after he shared a brief video on Instagram and YouTube Shorts that showcased audiences at some of his recent shows. A number of fans quickly identified discrepancies in the video, indicating that Will Smith’s team might have utilized generative AI to produce a fabricated clip. TechCrunch and blogger Andy Baio highlighted that the video uploaded by Will Smith does display characteristics of being created or modified by AI. Nevertheless, the audiences shown in the clip are genuine, as are many of the AI-modified signs and individuals showcased.
The situation appears to be more intricate than simply Will Smith employing AI to fabricate videos of pretend crowds. Baio performed an in-depth examination suggesting that Will Smith’s team could have leveraged AI to convert photos from his recent performances into videos. Such tools are widely accessible to the public. Indeed, Google has recently unveiled a new Veo 3 capability that enables users to transform any still image into a video.
However, there is another factor that might undermine Will Smith amid this AI controversy. Google recently conducted an experiment for YouTube Shorts where it employed AI (machine learning) to enhance the quality of Shorts without securing the creator’s consent. Viewers criticized that the videos appeared to be AI-generated. It seems that the YouTube Shorts clip of Will Smith that sparked fans’ dissatisfaction this week could have been impacted by this experiment.
Reasons behind the belief that Will Smith’s concert video is AI-generated
“My favorite part of the tour is seeing you all up close,” Will Smith states in the video’s caption. “Thank you for seeing me too.” The video is merely one minute long, showcasing the artist performing during his European tour before large crowds. The clip emphasizes the fans and some of the signs they held. One sign features a man stating that Will Smith’s music assisted him in overcoming cancer. However, the man’s face appears unnatural on YouTube, and one of his hands seems to blend with the hand of a woman in front of him. Another sign displays unreadable text that appears to have been generated by AI. Furthermore, a sign reading “Lov U Fresh Prince” transforms into “Lov U Fr6sh Crince” later in the video.
These elements led to backlash. Fans suspected that Will Smith fabricated the crowds at his performances, including the signs they showcased. Nonetheless, Andy Baio performed an admirable analysis of Will Smith’s social media posts in an effort to clarify the situation. The signs are authentic. The man who asserted that Will Smith’s song aided his cancer recovery was indeed present. The woman in front of him was holding the sign alongside him. The “Lov U” sign had appeared in photos that the singer shared on his social media platforms prior to the video being released.
Is YouTube Shorts responsible?
Baio conjectures that Will Smith’s team may have utilized AI to transition some of these photos into videos and then combined them into a lengthier clip. This resulted in unwanted visual artifacts that are hallmark signs of AI usage. However, Baio contends that the YouTube Shorts AI initiative may also be culpable in this instance, as Google automatically enhanced the clip shared on Shorts, making it resemble an even more fully AI-generated video.
The identical clip posted on Instagram appears more authentic, as machine learning wasn’t applied to enhance details and smoothen faces. Baio shared a side-by-side comparison on YouTube that illustrates the differences between Instagram and YouTube Shorts:
Despite reasonable justifications, the backlash is understandable, given the rising volume of AI-generated content shared online. Will Smith has neither confirmed nor denied the use of AI in these promotional presentations. As a reminder, not all generative AI tools include visible watermarks to inform viewers that the content has been created with AI. Google did not reveal the YouTube experiment until users raised concerns. Even Netflix has employed AI in a television show without prior disclosure of the practice.
