Whatever your opinion on the use of AI, there’s little argument that the technology has some problems. While it can be a fun distraction, like producing X-Men that look like Disney characters or whatever other silly thing comes into your head, there’s so much it can’t do. And yet, you end up finding it in places you rarely expect.
In this case, you find it in a Vogue photoshoot for Ariana Grande. A Grande fan account on Instagram called out an image from a recent Vogue Japan feature, after noticing a fairly common error that occurs when AI tries to make or alter images: Ariana has too many fingers.
Grande fans in the comments of the post are experiencing a range of emotions. Many are confused about why AI would even have been used in this case. Many are angry at the perceived laziness involved. Others are just laughing at the ridiculous image.
One person who may be experiencing all of these emotions is Ariana Grande herself. She actually commented on herself with a pair of posts. In one post, it became clear she had no idea this was done when she said simply…
holy shit
Those are the words of somebody who wasn't expecting to see too many fingers on her hand. Many people are very critical of AI, especially when it is used in creative fields. In this case, we have the creativity of photography being used to capture an artist, so it all looks bad.
The Wicked: For Good star decided to have some fun with the error in another comment. She joked about how beneficial another finger would be, saying…
oh my goodness how exciting ! i’ve been saying i need some extra appendages so that i can start an album ! thankful for this
Before anybody gets too excited, there isn't a new Ariana Grande album on the way. She's clearly making a joke (though some in the comments aren't taking it that way.)
The original Vogue Japan article online still has the picture in question up, though it appears it has been edited to remove the errant digit. If the image itself had been AI-generated, Grande likely would have said something. Assuming she did in fact pose for the picture, it would appear AI was used to retouch the image, leading to the mistake.
This particular error is a known problem with AI images and just one of the reasons that a lot of people don’t like that particular use for AI. Ariana Grande certainly doesn’t indicate her own feelings on the topic, though the pictures of her are likely owned by Vogue, and the magazine can probably do whatever it wants with them.
