The rise of hyperrealistic artificial intelligence has led to a situation where beautiful people, such as Italian model Ines Trocchia, are often mistaken for AI-generated models. Trocchia has expressed frustration over being accused of not being a real person due to the flawless images she posts on her Instagram account, which has over 1.6 million followers. Despite her years of hard work perfecting her craft as a model, some people still question the authenticity of her beauty in the age of AI-generated supermodels.
Trocchia’s situation is complicated by the fact that online catfishers often steal her likeness to generate views on social media, further blurring the line between real and virtual identities. She has noticed bot accounts stealing her body and putting artificial faces on it, leading to instances where her videos receive more views on fake accounts than on her own profile. The issue of AI-generated models is not unique to Trocchia, as other colleagues and friends in the industry have faced similar problems.
The proliferation of hyperrealistic AI models contributes to already high beauty standards by presenting impossible ideals of perfection that can be damaging to both the modeling industry and society as a whole. Trocchia argues that striving for an unrealistic level of perfection created by AI is detrimental and that beauty should not be based on unattainable standards. While she acknowledges using AI for photo editing purposes, she draws the line at creating entirely fake personas that do not exist in reality.
The presence of AI-generated content poses real-world consequences, as seen in a case where an AI-generated photo of a fake explosion at the Pentagon spread on social media, causing confusion among users and even affecting the U.S. stock market. As AI technology continues to advance, cases like Trocchia’s could become more common, raising concerns about the authenticity of online content and the implications of AI manipulation. The challenge lies in navigating a world where the line between reality and virtual reality becomes increasingly blurred, raising questions about the impact of hyperrealistic AI on various aspects of society.
