Photo Credit: Will Smith (YouTube)
Will Smith is under fire online for sharing a video using AI-generated shots of crowds cheering at his summer tour.
The Fresh Prince himself, Will Smith, kicked off the UK leg of his tour, Based on a True Story, over the weekend in support of his recent album of the same name. To hype up fans ahead of time, a video was shared on his official YouTube channel, thanking fans for coming to see him. But the clip has been under fire online for its heavy use of AI to portray footage of concertgoers.
Some shots show audience members with faces appearing distorted or blurry, while others have extra fingers and strangely shaped hands. A woman’s headband appears to cover another woman’s wrist. A man with oddly shaped hands holds a handmade sign that reads, “‘You Can Make it’ helped me survive cancer. THX Will.”
“Imagine being this rich and famous and having to use AI footage of crowds… Tragic, man,” wrote one commenter. “Videographers exist; why abandon quality work for this degenerative slop?” questioned another.
“So not only is this an abomination to look at because it’s low quality phone footage that’s been heavily AI upscaled, but there’s also in-between scenes that are clearly AI-generated,” another commented, citing timestamps where inconsistencies appeared.
“Hey [Will], these PR stunts are going nowhere,” said one fan. “What kind of sheeple do you think we are, bro? You can’t be this ignorant; […] it’s embarrassing.”
Will Smith’s first album in 20 years, Based on a True Story, dropped in March. Fans have remarked on the “half-baked” and “corny” lyrics contained therein, but that’s not a far cry from the type of criticism the rapper has received in the past.
But he isn’t the only star facing criticism for his use of AI. Earlier this month, Rod Stewart was slammed for what many saw as a disrespectful tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne. During a recent show, the 80-year-old Stewart dedicated his song “Forever Young” to Ozzy, who passed away in July.
The video shown during the number aired on a big screen for fans to see, featuring an AI-generated Ozzy posing for selfies with other late stars, including Prince, Tina Turner, Bob Marley, Kurt Cobain, and Michael Jackson.
