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Forbes
20 minutes ago
- Forbes
Rod Stewart's AI-Generated Ozzy Osbourne Controversy, Explained
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 26: Singer Rod Stewart performs on stage at the Acer Arena on February 26, 2008 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Don Arnold/WireImage) WireImage Singer Rod Stewart sparked backlash after his concert featured an AI-generated tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne, which struck many as distasteful. Osbourne passed away last month at the age of 76—his death inspired an outpouring of love and affection from his fans and peers, but Stewart's AI-generated tribute invoked unease. Rod Stewart has been paying tribute to Osbourne ever since he passed away, with Stewart regularly dedicating his song 'Forever Young' to the Black Sabbath star during his 'One Last Time' tour. Stewart's concert on August 1 featured a new addition to the 'Forever Young' tribute—a bizarre, AI-generated video of Osbourne taking selfies with deceased celebrities, standing before a cloudy background meant to represent Heaven. Celebrities featured in the AI-generated video include Prince, Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, XXXTentacion, Tupac Shakur, Freddie Mercury, Bob Marley, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse. The fact that many of these late stars suffered tragic, untimely deaths adds to the ghoulishness of the display—all are shown grinning inanely at the camera, animated by the digital necromancy of generative AI. Concertgoers quickly shared their reaction on social media, along with online commentators who did not attend the show. Relatives of XXXTentacion and Tupac Shakur told TMZ that they had no problems with the AI-generated tribute, but many fans felt otherwise. One commentator described the tribute as a 'sign of stupidity'—many reckoned it was 'creepy and tasteless.' Another expressed shock at the contents of the video, and concluded, 'We truly are in the end times.' The condemnation echoed the words of the legendary Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki, whose negative reaction to a generative AI presentation became something of a rallying cry for anti-AI artists. Musing on what he had just witnessed, a dispirited Miyazaki said, 'I feel like we are nearing the end times. We humans are losing faith in ourselves.' The Backlash Against Generative AI Continues Generative AI has been controversial since release—it's an energy-intensive invention built on the output of artists without their consent, threatening the livelihood of workers and polluting the internet with machine-made content. Recent concerns about AI involve the altering of real video and imagery, such as the reshaping of The Wizard of Oz to fit the Las Vegas Sphere. Lately, AI enthusiasts have been using the technology for a more unsettling purpose, posting pictures of their deceased relatives that they have 'animated' using AI, old photographs imbued with the appearance of life. Many commentators react to these re-animated clips with visceral disgust and horror, often citing works of fiction that warn against meddling with memories, or attempting to reanimate the dead. The AI-generated Ozzy Osbourne tribute feels like a step toward the normalization of such practices, trivializing the memory of the deceased with images and videos that do not feature their true self, but a machine-made echo of their likeness. It wasn't long ago that generative AI crossed a technological boundary, capable of creating convincing video of anyone, doing anything—now, it's forcing the dead to smile for the camera. MORE FROM FORBES Forbes The AI-Altered 'Wizard Of Oz' Controversy, Explained By Dani Di Placido Forbes Google's AI Passed The 'Will Smith Eating Spaghetti' Test By Dani Di Placido Forbes It's The End Of An Era For YouTube's 'Lofi Girl' By Dani Di Placido Forbes The AI-Generated Studio Ghibli Trend, Explained By Dani Di Placido
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Elon Musk's ‘spicy' upgrade to Grok spits out deepfake clip of Taylor Swift dancing topless: report
Elon Musk's xAI chatbot Grok got a 'spicy' upgrade that reportedly spits out explicit deepfake videos, including a clip of Taylor Swift dancing topless, according to a report. Grok Imagine, the startup's new generative AI tool launched Monday, created a six-second clip of the 'Shake It Off' singer whipping off a silver dress to reveal her breasts and wearing skimpy panties, according to the tech-centric news site The Verge. Even more troubling was that its spicy mode conjured up the NSFW clip without mentioning nudity when prompted to show Swift celebrating at music festivals, the outlet found while testing the software. The video generating tool on Elon Musk's xAI chatbot Grok has a 'spicy' mode that allowed users to create a sexualized deepfake clip featuring singer Taylor Swift. Getty Images for TAS Rights Management The Verge published the video but ran a black bar to cover the superstar's bare chest. The new feature's lack of safeguards against creating celebrity deepfakes and adult materials 'feels like a lawsuit waiting to happen,' The Verge wrote. The Post reached out to Musk, xAI and representatives for Swift for comment. Swift has been a frequent target of AI-generated explicit content across various platforms. In January of last year, explicit AI-generated images of the 'Cruel Summer' singer were widely shared on platforms like Musk-owned X and 4chan, sparking public outrage and urgent content takedowns. The situation escalated with deepfake videos falsely portraying her in political and sexual contexts, including through Grok. The controversy led to tech companies tightening safeguards and prompted Swift to consider legal action. US lawmakers began advancing bipartisan legislation to criminalize non-consensual deepfake pornography. The user guidelines for xAI, which Musk has positioned as a rival to ChatGPT maker OpenAI, prohibit creating pornographic depictions of real people's likenesses. Grok Imagine, which is available for those with Heavy or Premium+ subscriptions to Grok, takes AI-generated images and transforms them into video clips of up to 15 seconds using style options that include Custom, Normal, Fun, and Spicy. 'Usage was growing like wildfire,' Musk wrote on X on Tuesday, though he did not address the content moderation challenges that have emerged alongside this growth. Musk has touted the features of Grok Imagine, stating that more than 34 million images have been created since the feature launched on Monday. xAI, Musk's AI startup, rolled out Grok Imagine, a video generation tool that includes a 'spicy' mode. AFP via Getty Images The timing of the Swift controversy could potentially be problematic for xAI, given the company's previous entanglements with deepfake incidents targeting Swift. Deepfakes are synthetic media — typically videos, images or audio — which are created using artificial intelligence in order to realistically mimic a person's likeness or voice.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Cardi B Reveals Lavish $73,000 Gift From Boyfriend Stefon Diggs
Originally appeared on E! Online Cardi B already said broke boys don't deserve her—and she's still right. After all, the 'Up' rapper recently shared an extravagant jewelry haul from Cartier, along with a $73,000 Patek Philippe Nautilus diamond-encrusted watch from her boyfriend . 'This is a Patek Philippe,' Cardi gushed in an August 2 TikTok. 'My boo boo got it for me at London Jewelers. And though the 'WAP' rapper admitted she was with her man when he bought the extravagant timepiece, she thought the Patriots player was splurging on himself. 'I went to link up with him at London Jewelers,' she recalled. 'At first I thought he was buying himself a watch and then he was like, 'Surprise, a watch for you!'' The Patek watch includes 56 diamonds around the perimeter of its clock, as well as a rose gold patented fold over clasp, a rose gold casing and a sapphire crystal case back, according to the brand's website. More from E! Online Special Forces: World's Toughest Test Season 4 Cast Revealed Chris Appleton Details Coming Out to His Former Partner and Kids What Happened to Wednesday's Xavier? His Fate Revealed After Percy Hynes White Accused of Misconduct Naturally, the piece has become the first step in Cardi's jewelry stacking routine. As she told her followers in the video, 'We're going to start with the Patek.' Cardi—mom to Kulture, 6, Wave, 3, and Blossom, 8 months with ex Offset—showing off her extravagant gift from Stefon comes after breakup rumors that began circulating less than a month ago. Indeed, while Cardi hard launched her relationship with the football player back in June, she sparked breakup rumors when she and the wide receiver removed a photo of each other from their respective social media accounts. But despite the minor roadblock, Cardi, 32, has made it clear she feels spoiled in her romance with the NFL star, which the couple confirmed in May. And after the couple shared they were dating publicly, Cardi gave a glimpse into the pair's romantic Paris getaway—at a spot fit for a princess. 'This man got us staying in a castle,' Cardi gushed in a June 25 Instagram Story. 'I'm talking a real castle. Look at this, this is a real f–king castle.' As she put it of the 31-year-old taking care of her, 'He said, 'B---h, you want castle? I'll give you a castle, b---h.'' For more of Cardi's most lavish looks, keep reading… Très ChicTurning HeadsUnforgettable Met Gala MomentHollywood GlamourCaptivating CardiLady in RedFeather FantasyShining BrightStunting & ShiningIn the NewsFierce FuchsiaSheer StyleBiker BabeSlayed in SchiaparelliFierce in FeathersGrammy ReadyGreen GoddessJewel in the CrownFierce and FabulousFlower PowerSuited UpGreen With EnvyCowgirl CouturePerfectly Pink For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App Solve the daily Crossword
