British Museum Deletes AI-Generated Pictures After Backlash

3 hours ago 3

Two women in traditional clothing admire artifacts in a museum; one wears a red embroidered gown and studies ornate plates and paintings, while the other in a purple outfit observes a large stone sculpture.

The British Museum in London has long been dogged by accusations that it contains troves of stolen art. So there was a certain irony when it posted a series of AI-generated images last week.

A series of images showing Elly Lin, an AI-generated person, perusing the museum while wearing various cultural clothing was shared to its Instagram page. According to Artnet, the post was up for just a few hours before it was taken down after a “barrage of really negative comments”.

A woman in a green traditional outfit stands in a museum, observing ornate, colorful ceramic reliefs mounted on the wall. The gallery features wooden floors, glass displays, and sculptures in the background.

The AI pictures were first shared to Lin’s Instagram page back in October. The caption reads, “I know some might question why I admire the British Museum while acknowledging its controversial history. I understand the criticism. Yet from another perspective, these artifacts, though far from home, have been preserved and protected. Truthfully, many wouldn’t have survived the turbulence of the Cultural Revolution decades ago”.

A woman in a colorful sweater and black skirt stands in a museum, observing an ancient stone relief with intricate carvings on a red wall under geometric ceiling lights.

Archaeologist and PhD student Steph Black tells Artnet that she believes the museum is “testing the waters to see how willing the public are to accept AI images so then they can fire or not hire creatives and professionals.” Black, who brought attention to the issue to her 200,000 followers on Instagram, says she has since been unfollowed by the British Museum — an act she perceives as a “threat”.

The museum acknowledges to Artnet that it posted “user-generated” content that was AI. “We do not post AI-created images and, recognizing the potential sensitivity, removed it,” it adds.

A woman in a blue dress and white heels reads documents in a glass display case at a museum or library, with shelves of books and artifacts in the background.

AI’s Image Problem

While the AI images are now gone, the British Museum’s Instagram page is still getting floods of comments talking about them. Beneath a post of a real human looking at a feather cloak given by King Kamehameha I of Hawaii to King George III of Britain, Black made her feelings known.

“Lovely non AI image taken by a real human photographer of a real human admiring the artistry and creativity of other real humans,” Black says in a comment which has so far received 266 likes. “And look no weird lighting or neck tilted back at an odd unnatural angle. How I love being human!”

AI is unpopular for numerous reasons: one being that AI image generators were built using the work of millions of photographers and artists without permission or compensation. It means that a lot of people recoil in horror when AI is used, which it is being more and more. The reaction to Darren Aronofsky’s AI reenactment of the American Revolution this week was predictably sour.

Read Entire Article