Ever since the explosion of AI image generators a few years ago there's been a fear that the technology would eventually be able to generate images so realistic that it would become impossible to know what's real online. The Emily Hart AI hoax was a sign that we're reaching that point. AI photos and videos are being used to make fake news and fake people that are scarily believable.
But it turns out that dubious actors don't necessarily need flawless photorealism to mislead people. A lot of AI imagery still has an uncanny valley effect, and it turns out that this weird visual quality can be useful for anyone pumping out misleading ads or outright scams. Those ubiquitous tai chi walking ads show why.
