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Meta has been slammed by social media users after it posted AI-generated images of the Northern Lights, which has been seen across parts of the world in the past week. The tech giant behind Facebook and Instagram shared the idea of creating your images, along with three AI-generated pictures of the Aurora Borealis, on Threads.
The AI-generated images showcased the Northern Lights over iconic locations such as the Golden Gate Bridge, a city skyline, and a Ferris wheel, among others. Meta’s move aimed to capitalize on the trend of people sharing their photos of the Northern Lights, following Thursday night’s rare display across the U.S. The post read: “POV: you missed the northern lights IRL, so you made your own with MetaAI.”
User reactions on Meta’s Northern Lights images
However, user reactions varied, with responses ranging from thoughtful criticism to outright anger and humor. Some users were frustrated by the approach taken by the company. One photographer responded: “People spend so much time and effort going out to see the Aurora and so much effort getting Aurora shots…how much sleep I’ve lost this week just to be done in seconds by AI…”
Another user added: “As everyone else has commented, this is utter rubbish. Part of the joy of photography and creating an image is the process of actually witnessing what you saw, not just making it up on a stupid computer package (with images stolen from real people and then made to look horrendous). “
Even a NASA engineer took to Threads to comment on the post, saying: “As a NASA engineer and artist I constantly need to debunk these fake images. These spread false information and only make our cultural intelligence worse. They misinform the science and muddy the waters of reality. No one wants this and to promote it like this is misguided at best.”
Critics generally argue that Meta’s social media team has missed the true essence of users’ posts. They pointed out that these posts are about being part of a collective celebration of a rare, shared experience. The criticism suggests that using AI-generated images may not be fitting for such moments.
However, Meta has been lambasted in the past over its approach to photography. ReadWrite has previously reported that content shared on the firm’s social media platforms is being used for the company’s AI training.
Consequently, artists are increasingly migrating from Meta to other apps such as Cara, which has banned AI-generated content.
ReadWrite has reached out to Meta for comment.
Featured image: Ideogram
