[Social＋] A friend who is alive and well is in the portrait photo... AI synthesis play that crosses the line

This is part of a memorial message that was recently shared on social media.

However, the main character in the article is a friend who is alive and well. In fact, a strange scene is taking place where the person introduced as the 'deceased person' is directly commenting on his or her obituary post, and friends are joking and saying, "Goodbye."

According to Yonhap News' coverage on the 14th, the so-called 'AI portrait photo game', which synthesizes friends' photos with generative artificial intelligence (AI), has recently become popular among some SNS users.

This is a method of pretending that a close friend has died and using it as a laughing stock.

There are some posts that appear to be a joke, such as a selfie taken while drawing a V, but some are so elaborate that it is difficult to distinguish them from actual portraits, causing confusion.

In addition, the date of birth and fake date of death are included in phrases similar to actual memorial messages, such as "My dear friend ○○" and "I will remember you for a long time," raising the possibility that it may be mistaken for a real obituary. In fact, the post contains a mixture of joking comments such as "What should I put on the ancestral rite table?" and sincere condolences such as "I pray that the deceased may rest in peace" and "I feel sorry for his young age" without knowing the situation.

As this type of play becomes known, criticism is growing stronger online.

Netizens reacted angrily, saying, "If my parents see it, they'll kick me in the ass," "This is a prank that crosses the line," and "Doing something like this on the subject of death seems too short-lived." They also expressed concern that if fake obituaries are repeated, even real news of obituaries may be viewed as a joke.

This is not the first time that an over-the-top prank using AI has caused social controversy.

Last year, ‘AI hidden cameras’ became popular, which surprise family members and friends by sending AI-composite photos that make it look like a stranger has broken into the house. In the UK, a parent mistakenly believed that a stranger had broken into their daughter's home and reported it to the police, causing an uproar in which police personnel, who should be deployed in an emergency situation, were mobilized.

Experts said that this phenomenon seriously undermines the dignity of death and called for a strong response at the platform level.

Kim Si-deok, a professor of funeral guidance at Eulji University, pointed out, "Due to the lack of education about death in schools, the dignity of death and the value of funeral culture are being taken lightly among the younger generation. If false information is confirmed on the platform, there is a need to consider measures to prevent the spread."

Professor Yoo Hong-sik of Chung-Ang University's Department of Media and Communication also emphasized, "It is an inhumane act of using the death of others as a means of entertainment," and added, "Users who post such posts should be strongly sanctioned on the platform."

In relation to this, Meta, the operator of Instagram, explained, "We take measures such as restrictions and deletions on all content, including AI-generated content, if it violates the community rules. If the images of ordinary individuals, including minors, have been manipulated in an unwanted manner, you can report it, and it is deleted after a verification process."

He added, “We will continue to do our best to maintain a healthy and safe platform environment through cooperation with external experts and related organizations.”