Will Smith's Crowds Sure Look AI in This Hype Video

"A video uploaded on August 12th included many apparently real concert shots, as well as clips of enormous, sightline-destroying signs next to people with melting fingers, tattoos that turn into arm hair, and a collection of swirling faces that wouldn't be out of place in a Picasso collection. The video is titled "My favorite part of tour is seeing you all up close..." which is funny, because if he did see people like that up close, he'd instinctively bust out The Slap 2.0."

"There's early evidence that YouTube is secretly upscaling videos on the platform, with many creators reporting too-crisp edges and a generalized plastic sheen. Granted, there have been fewer complaints about background faces morphing into nightmares, but it's been seven years since Google stopped pretending and dropped "Don't be evil" as its motto, and it's not like parent company Alphabet deserves the benefit of the doubt."

"But on the other hand, we can see some of the same facial melting in the version of the video uploaded to Facebook. Where does that leave us? Fuck if I know, but we can probably look forward to our low-trust society reaching strange new lows. In March, Smith released his new album Based on a True Story, which contained a few not-exactly-illuminating references to the infamous Chris Rock Oscars slap. Check out his hype video below, with the most obviously computer-enhanced section appearing around 53 seconds."

A Will Smith hype video uploaded August 12 mixes concert footage with grotesque, AI-like visual distortions. The footage displays enormous, sightline-obscuring signs, melting fingers, tattoos turning into arm hair, and swirling faces reminiscent of Picasso. Many creators report that YouTube upscaling can produce too-crisp edges and a generalized plastic sheen, which could amplify or create such artifacts. A Facebook upload shows similar facial melting, leaving the origin of the effects uncertain between platform processing and intentional augmentation. Smith released the album Based on a True Story in March, and the most obviously enhanced section appears around 53 seconds.

Read at Consequence