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Is This Real? AI-Generated Image of LeBron James in Barbie Outfit Goes Viral
Have you ever seen an image that was so realistic, you couldn’t tell if it was real or not? Well, that’s what happened when the AI-generated depiction of LeBron James wearing a Barbie-themed outfit was published on Twitter yesterday July 20.
The image went viral, with over 5 million views in less than 24 hours. Some people found the image to be humorous, while others found it to be offensive. People even believed that the image was real and that LeBron James had actually posed for it.
Around 30% of people thought it was real, only realizing it was AI-generated afterward. Although it’s not exactly a far-fetched idea for the NBA superstar to pull off a vibrant and cultured outfit.
This photo image is generated by Midjourney, a generative AI program that generates images using natural language, called “prompts”, similar to OpenAI’s DALL-E and Stable Diffusion.
This has sparked a debate on Twitter about the ethics of AI. Some people believe it can be used to create false narratives, which could have a negative impact on people’s image.
The Midjourney image of LeBron James in a Barbie-themed outfit is a good example of what AI can do. The image is so realistic that it could easily be mistaken for a real photo. To learn more, read:
