Artificial Rubbish – part 2

Facebook isn’t the only social media platform overwhelmed by Artificial-Intelligence-produced content. Threads is full of it, too. Here’s one user who is trying to pass-off a computer-generated image from a simple text prompt as if it’s a real image of her actual experience:

Jill Jones has over 4,000 followers on Threads consuming her fake content. Given her standard of English I suspect she’s not in the USA either. In fact she’s probably not a woman and not called Jill. She could easily be a teenager with a smartphone in a developing country. I have 256 followers on Threads.

Some people are aware of the fakery, though. Just look at the comment from Sandman Photography below her post.

You went out to your computer and created an ai image and tried to pass it off as real you mean?

Alex, from Sandman Photography, is a proper photographer, you know, one with a camera. His name is Alex and his straplines are “Explore. Live. Capture.”, and “Capturing natural beauty in its purest form”. His images are great records of fabulous experiences of the natural world. Do check out his website and the wildlife of Michigan.

Here’s his response:

I just want to reiterate the ABSOULTE (sic) frustration I experience with Al accounts trying to pass off fake images as real images.

My friends know how much time I spend trying to find owls. The Barn Owl is one owl that I will probably look for YEARS to even find. I may actually never even find in my life. Let alone get a great picture of one.

This image took me 15 seconds to create in Midjourney… 15 seconds!!

THAT is what makes us real photographers furious about what is happening with Al.

I share Alex’s frustration. I’ve never taken a decent photograph of a Barn Owl as, despite many evenings watching a barn with an active nest from 100 yards away, they never came close and never came out in the light. Until now, that is, when after typing a simple prompt, I was able to photograph one easily:

Problem solved.

Or is it?

I’ve had better luck with Short-Eared Owls:

And yes, this is a real one.