Documentary and videos warning about AI generated images (updated 5.4.25)

April 2025 became Generative AI images awareness month on the blog. This post is a resource for videos and links with recaps of AI issues.  At the end of this post are links to the other Generated AI image posts from this month. 

The dangers of AI generated images impact everyone who posts online -- not just artists. Your original photos and text in your social media posts are your valuable intellectual property -- at risk for theft! Watch for social media platforms' updates to their Terms of Service (TOS) agreements. Why can they default users to "opt in" for theft?? They make enough money from ads and data gathering. We need better laws and regulations that protect consumers. 

Don't let companies monetize your memories. 

Read, watch and learn. Follow the lawsuits started by artists. Contact lawmakers. Use your voice.

UPDATE 5.4.25 -- Lawsuit take time, but they are making progress. Excerpt: "You have companies using copyright-protected material to create a product that is capable of producing an infinite number of competing products," said (US Federal District Judge Vince) Chhabria to Meta's attorneys in a San Francisco court last Thursday. "You are dramatically changing, you might even say obliterating, the market for that person's work, and you're saying that you don't even have to pay a license to that person... I just don't understand how that can be fair use."

https://www.pcgamer.com/software/ai/us-federal-judge-on-metas-ai-copyright-fair-use-argument-you-are-dramatically-changing-you-might-even-say-obliterating-the-market-for-that-persons-work/?fbclid=

VIDEOS

This excellent documentary is from CNA (Channel News Asia https://www.channelnewsasia.com/us) a Singapore based, English-language news channel. It has interviews with many of the artists who first pushed back with legal action against the theft of their work. 

Copy+Paste+Steal

These next videos followed quickly on my radar ... 

"How Everything Became AI Slop" from You Tube channel of journalist Christophe Haubursin.

"The AI Problem -- Importance of Real Art" YT channel of photographer Ted Katina. This commentary breaks down important points why businesses are embracing AI and drowning us in it.  It ponders topics like this quote from Jeron Lanier: "If money is flowing more freely to advertising than to artists, journalists, and musicians, then society is more concerned with manipulation than truth or beauty." 

Bobby Chiu (co-founder of Lightbox Expo  https://lightboxexpo.com/  and Schoolism https://schoolism.com/)

Posted this commentary on the Ghibli AI controversy

And this one how real AI is becoming.. 

Update 5.2.25 -- "VFX artists debunk AI slop." This episode from the Corridor Crew You Tube channel dissects the AI fake videos that circulated after the Los Angeles area fires, along with the Coke Xmas season commercial. This channel has over 6 million subscribers. The comments thread for this video suggests their fans would love a series of videos like this. The public wants transparency when AI is used. No one likes to be fooled.

A Ted talk by Ed Newton-Rex from March 2025 "How AI Models Steal Creative Work -- and what to do about it"

This next link is a video of a talk from a March 2025 conference...

Rez Graham on "The Human Cost of  Generative AI" at GGC (Game Developers Conference) March 2025

https://gdcvault.com/play/1035183/Game-AI-Summit-The-Human?fbclid=

Here are some other helpful links...

Visual Capitalist Nov 2023 (chart of problems with Gen AI)

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/sp/9-problems-with-generative-ai-in-one-chart/?fbclid=

Futurism April 2025   "Meta Says it's ok..."

https://futurism.com/meta-copyrighted-books-no-value?fbclid=

AD Age -- fake KFC ad starts debate

https://adage.com/technology/ai/aa-fake-ai-generated-kfc-ad-causes-creativity-debate/?fbclid=

Why Say No to Gen AI

This infographic by artist Lili Chin (https://doggiedrawings.net) is available as a free download on her website:

https://doggiedrawings.net/products/why-say-no-to-generative-ai?fbclid=

These issues aren't new. Here's a video by SamDoesArts from Dec 2022. But the outrage is growing.

And these 2 posts here on the blog from March 2024

https://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2024/03/beware-of-shady-ai-on-facebook-groups.html

https://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2024/03/10-reasons-to-care-about-ethics-behind.html

All the work for stronger laws and regulations takes time. This link from HumanAristryCampAIgn has news on proposed legislation regarding "deep fakes" in the works: https://www.humanartistrycampaign.com/news. 

Concept Art Association has this advocacy page on their website https://www.conceptartassociation.com/advocacy

Info on the News/Media Alliance (formerly the Newspaper Assoc of America) "Support Responsible AI" campaign here: https://www.newsmediaalliance.org/support-responsible-ai-campaign/

The groundwork is there. We need more push back from the public. Speak out against the use of Generative AI images. Call out in the comments threads of Gen AI posts. Follow proposed legislation. Contact lawmakers and voice your support for stronger laws and guidelines.

This 2016 video shares master artist Hayao Miyazaki's heartbreaking reaction to a sample reel of AI generated images. It should be screened every year at tech and art schools. Yes, these are zombie images, but the "ick" factor reaction is close to what artists feel when they see their work taken, distorted, and profited from by others...

Don't "like & share" what you know is stolen and dangerous. 

Share the resources here and elsewhere on the blog.

These next 4 links are for the other April 2025 posts:

https://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2025/04/everyones-creative-rights-at-risk.html

https://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2025/04/ai-content-in-group-sites-and-ads.html

https://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2025/04/the-ai-generated-action-figure-trend.html

https://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2025/04/fans-are-protecting-creative-rights-for.html

Everyone's creative rights are at risk for theft.. and unauthorized commercial use by others. 

Raise awareness. Support real art by real artists. Buy direct from their online stores. Support them via sites like Patreon, Ko-fi, etc.

Do. Not. Steal. 

Everyone's creative rights at risk. Campaign from News/Media Alliance

When you post online (photos or text) you are sharing YOUR copyright protected intellectual property.

 Your original content has value! 

Be aware of your rights. Protect them. Raise awareness!

Ideas can't be copyright protected... but once you put your ideas in a fixed form (in writing, via art/photography), copyright exists. Register those copyrights!!! Your maximum legal protections come with that registration certificate. More on Copyright basics here: https://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2025/04/basics-on-copyright-trademark-ai.html

News/Media Alliance (formerly the Newspaper Association of America) launched an anti-AI ad campaign in April 2025. https://www.newsmediaalliance.org/support-responsible-ai-campaign/

The campaign ran in national publications like the New York Times.

Their ad images are available as FREE downloads here:https://www.newsmediaalliance.org/ads-support-responsible-ai/

Read the key issues... and asks... regarding responsible AI at this link..

https://supportresponsibleai.org

Artists are the canaries in the coal mine for the rest of us. They are meeting with lawmakers and the federal copyright office. We ALL need stronger protections. We are ALL in this fight.

Companies can't be allowed to scrape and steal copyright protected work to build their for-profit business models. They can't just update their Terms of Service to automatically "opt-in" platform user consent for private content to be scraped/stolen to train their AI models. 

Do. Not. Steal. 

More of the sample ads from the News/Media Alliance campaign:

Be aware of what you see and share. AI generated image trends... and likes & shares.. for "fun" ... aren't so entertaining when you know the detriment they cause.

The creative rights you save aren't just for artists -- your content online needs protections too. Social media should be for connecting with friends and family. The companies can run their ads in exchange for use of the platform. Enough is enough. 

Don't let companies steal your memories to make money for themselves and others. 

Speak up. 

Shout out in the comments threads for AI generated posts. 

Educate your social media communities.

All the work for stronger laws and regulations takes effort from everyone. Stay informed. Educate others. 

This link from HumanAristryCampAIgn has news on proposed legislation regarding "deep fakes" in the works: https://www.humanartistrycampaign.com/news. 

Concept Art Association has this advocacy page on their website https://www.conceptartassociation.com/advocacy

This comic from artist Melodie Perrault was shared as a post.. 

Friends don't let friends help companies cheat and steal.

AI content in group sites and ads -- gateways for scammers??

GROUP PAGES CAN BE GOOD FUN

Popular Facebook group pages started as common interest community sites online, formed by real people or companies. Some are public -- anyone can follow -- but they don't allow followers to post content on the site. 

Here's a sample smaller public one (still with a 6-figure following). You can go to the "About" page on this site and see that it is moderated by an individual and based in The Netherlands.

Some group pages are private with volunteer administrators who work hard to moderate them. 

Thanks to moderation, genuine group interest pages like these build a community of trust, and can attract large followings. Moderated pages often require waiting period to join -- a time consuming step that the page administration users to try to weed out bots and keep the page trustworthy. 

WHEN GROUP PAGES GO WRONG...

The success of pages like these to attract large followings got the attention of scammers as well. Some of them tried to infiltrate pages with bot profiles and contributions featuring AI images. The moderated pages would reject these, or weed them out.

So the scammers started creating their own pages. These dubious Facebook pages typically have generic titles and no discernable moderation. Anyone can join. Dubious pages are full of stolen pictures (usually tagged as "great photo" or something similar) and AI generated images. Dubious pages have little or no information on the "About" page. Learn to recognize these red flags.

Fake pages share fake content. They exist to attract followers ... and get "likes and shares."

The proliferation of AI generated images -- all those "likes & shares" -- only normalizes them. 

Many dubious group pages haven't just been attracting followers... they have been cultivating victims for scammers. 

This video from the You Tube channel of journalist Christophe Haubursin breaks down the steps how pages like this are actually bot farms at work. This video is solid journalism, with time stamps to help find the different sections. Start viewing around 6:50 -- the "why are so many people seeing it" section -- for the bot farm info.

For a TLDW version of this breakdown, here are some screen grabs from a photographer friend's warning to their followers about these bot farm pages.. and what to look for...

Here are some sample common interest pages displaying clues they MAY be staging grounds for scammers. Learn to be mindful of what you see and share.  Pages like these are designed to gather followers based on appealing subject matter... piggyback on the assumed trustworthiness built by other groups...and encourage engagement, often via emotional appeals to "like and share." Some post legit photos and products mixed in with AI fakes... adding to the confusion.

This link from Microsoft has tips on how to spot bots on social media:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-life-hacks/privacy-and-safety/how-to-spot-bots-on-social-media

Check out the 6 figure followings on the sample pages .... these pages are designed to attract a crowd...

another sample...

Here's a warning I shared to a legit common interest group page I follow. One day, they got a flurry of bot farm page posts. Admin later replied to me later to confirm they try to remove those right away.

Here are the stolen photos, with the "Perfect Photographs" and "Great Photo" clues... the first one is a genuine (though stolen) photograph. I'm familiar with the origins of this photo below, and can confirm it was used here WITHOUT permission.

This next one is an AI generated image identified as "Great Photograph"...

And the intro post with the emotional appeal... and the unrelated hashtags, designed to expand the reach of the images and call-too-action... all classic clues..

While some of the posts on these general interest pages may be benign... more red flags are posts like this next sample, that ask for engagement about AI generated images that are presented as genuine products.. (typos like "sigh" instead of "sign" are also clues)...

sample comments of engagement

Proof that there are real people following these pages, and not realizing the appealing "products" are fake, when a comment like this gets multiple "likes" and replies with thanks for the information...

AI IMAGES IN VIDEO ADS -- RED FLAGS!

Seeing AI generated images in advertising shows this normalization is working. This adds monetization to the equation. Maybe some are legit, but these ads also incentivizes scammers. 

Beware of video ads of elderly artisans announcing retirement... it's a scam! Here are some screen grabs from recent AI generated image video ads...

Fake products... fake sales person... fake customers... all AI generated..

Bags, jewelry and watches seem to be common products pitched in these ads...

here's a video from the You Tube channel "Pleasant Green" that follows AI fueled ads like these all the way through to ordering the merchandise... (spoiler alert/TLDW ... the "artesian" wristwatch turns out to be the same as a .99 watch ordered off a website).

GOOD SITES CAN ADD TROUBLE TRYING TO SAVE AD MONEY

It's especially discouraging when charities (including ones I know and donate to!) use AI generated images. It may be a budgetary decision, but using AI generated images also taints these fine organizations with guilt by association as the scams become more rampant. (the wonky fork on the plate in the image below is a "tell" that this is an AI generated image)

REALISTIC AI REELS ARE RED FLAGS TOO

"Whale washing" and other fake videos are making the rounds. These appear as hyper-realistic scenes of animal rescues etc. Some Facebook pages are just sharing videos like these. Here are some screen grabs...

This video from Emmy winning artist Bobby Chiu explores how convincing these videos can be...

A producer from The Dodo also posted a reel explaining about the dangers of these videos..

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?mibextid=wwXIfr&v=1469152424494260

AD INDUSTRY IS AWARE -- WILL THEY ACT??

Advertising trade organizations are pondering the impact of AI in advertising as well...

Here's a link and statement from the American Marketing Association:

A fake, AI-generated KFC ad has sparked major debate in the creative community — and it’s a moment every marketer should pay attention to.

"When director David Blagojevic posted a hyper-realistic AI-made KFC spot, it quickly went viral. But it didn’t take long for another director, Joris Noordenbos, to point out that many of the shots closely replicated real ads he had produced for KFC. The result? Accusations of plagiarism, a firestorm in the comments, and a bigger conversation around AI’s role in advertising.

For marketers, this moment highlights a few critical truths:

- AI can enhance creativity, but it doesn’t erase the need for credit and transparency

- Brands are vulnerable to the unauthorized use of their identity in AI-generated content

- The line between inspiration and imitation is thinner than ever

As AI tools evolve, so does our responsibility to use them ethically. Credit still matters. Brand integrity still matters. Let’s keep pushing boundaries with purpose!

Read more about this debate in Ad Age" https://adage.com/technology/ai/aa-fake-ai-generated-kfc-ad-causes-creativity-debate/?fbclid=

"ASPIRATIONAL" IS A PATH TO PROBLEMS 

Some Facebook pages exists only to promote "aspirational" decor/decor. This use of AI generated images also lull the public into accepting "aspirational decor/products" as real and lures them to websites where scammers can sell inferior merchandise and collect payment info. Or use emotional "my kid made this" appeals to get engagement... and donations.

Previous posts on the blog about these problems: https://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2023/08/beware-ai-image-generated-non.html

https://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2023/08/deciphering-ai-images-clues-to-look-for.html

Recent examples....

This next screen grab is a sample of a general interest page used to post an AI generated image with "emotional appeal" call-to-action, that shares a link to buy a quilt...only the image is fake and the quilt pictured doesn't exist. Look at the website link. It may appears to be legit "Etsy" at first glance... but look closely!

Some Facebook pages feature nothing but "aspirational" decor/products. Instead of making it clear on each post that the images are AI generated, they link to websites bury that transparency on a "warning" page. They seem to know that consumers are being scammed through use of the images... why not label the images as AI generated from the start??

Legit Pages get hurt by these scams too!

POP QUIZ

Lots of info covered in this post -- care to take a pop quiz? Can you spot the clues that these ad images are AI generated?

These eyeglass ads may be legit. But do you really want to buy from companies that are using fakery to attract customers?

AI generated images are only possible due to art theft. And greed.

They are "tools" all right -- tools for scammers. Supplied by thieves. Be aware. Raise awareness.

This link from HumanAristryCampAIgn has news on proposed legislation regarding "deep fakes" in the works: https://www.humanartistrycampaign.com/news. 

Concept Art Association has this advocacy page on their website https://www.conceptartassociation.com/advocacy

Info on the News/Media Alliance (formerly the Newspaper Assoc of America) "Support Responsible AI" campaign here: https://www.newsmediaalliance.org/support-responsible-ai-campaign/