The video in question was met with sharp-eyed viewers who pointed out several anomalies synonymous with AI-generated content.
WASHINGTON — Hollywood actor and rapper Will Smith is facing a new controversy, but this time it’s not about his life or career. Instead, fans are upset about a recent promotional tour video.
The Oscar and Grammy winner, who is about to wrap up his first-ever headline tour, has been accused of using AI-generated crowds to exaggerate fan reactions during his comeback rap tour.
The video in question, posted on his official YouTube and Instagram accounts, was met with sharp-eyed viewers who pointed out several anomalies synonymous with AI-generated content.
The video, which appears to show concert footage of Smith performing his new song “You Can Make It,” reveals duplicate individuals, blurry faces, extra fingers, disproportionate limbs, unnatural crowd behavior, and misspelled signs.
At one point in the video, a sign that said “LOV U FRESH PRINCE” is featured. When the sign is seen again in another shot, it suddenly reads “LOV U FR6SH CRINCE.”
It’s unclear whether the footage is AI-generated for sure, and Smith has yet to publicly comment.
But many commenters are convinced at least some of the video is the product of AI video generation, is and some outlets have shared their theories for what happened.
One theory, presented by Andy Baio at Waxy.org, is that Smith’s team generated several AI image-to-video clips from audience photos at recent concerts.
According to the theory, the audience members are real but the images were manipulated to turn photos into video footage, causing the distortions and unnatural anatomy seen in parts of the video.
Smith, a four-time Grammy winner, kicked off his European tour in late June and is scheduled to wrap it up on Aug. 30 in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom. Earlier this year, Smith released his fifth studio album “Based on a True Story.” It’s his first music project in two decades.
Three years since his infamous Oscars slap, the Academy Award winner also has several films in pre-production, including “Fast and Loose,” “Hancock 2,” “I Am Legend 2” and “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” according to IMDb.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.