It’s time to say goodbye to AI Ai.
Just last week Shueishapublisher of Japan Weekly Playboy magazine (no relation to the American one Playboy) announced the debut of a new model, Ai Satsuki. Ai was billed as “full of masculine ideals”, which paralleled her appearance in photos in that week’s issue Weekly Playboy, Shueisha released a digital photo album of her own called Umaretatewhich translates to “newly born”.
However, it wasn’t just a reference to Aa’s first professional modeling appearance, but to the fact that she didn’t even exist until recently. Ai was not a photographed model, but a series of images created by AI.
▼ Ai Satsuki
While images of engraved models created by artificial intelligence (models posing in swimsuits, underwear and other clothing) have gradually spread across Japanese social media and websites in recent months, Ai represented the first high-profile attempt by a Japanese publisher to turn the AI model on its head. into a commercial venture. The high quality of the images did a remarkably effective job of avoiding visual glitches and the uncanny valley, but while there were few complaints about how Ai looked, there were clearly not a few people who objected to what Ai was, so there you have it Shueisha made the decision to quickly and completely cancel the sale of her photo album, as well as all other projects that were in the works..
Regarding the decision, Shueisha says:
“From [the issue of Weekly Playboy in which Ai Satsuki appears and her digital photo album] is on sale, we have heard many opinions, and our editorial team has reviewed the project. As a result, with regard to the process of image creation, the editors concluded that his examination of the points of debate and potential problems of generative AI was not sufficiently examined. Looking ahead to the likelihood of a deepening global debate on the commercialization of AI-generated content, we believe it warrants closer consideration.
As a result, we will discontinue sales of Ai Satsuki Umaretata’s digital photo album.”
The announcement was made on Shueisha’s website Weekly Playboy Gravure Japan on July 7, with sales of Ai’s photo album ending on the site’s online store at 11 a.m. the same day, and on other digital platforms by the end of the day, leaving those who wish to make a purchase only a few hours to do so. In addition to stopping sales You are dyingShueisha also deleted Ai’s Twitter account.
Although not specifically mentioned in the statement, the apparent obstacle is the way the AI creates the images. Many programs that are able to generate high-quality images do so by using pre-existing images as initial inputs, raising the question of what kind of ownership rights the creators of those original images have over the AI output.
“Even if she doesn’t really exist, the love for her that springs up in your heart is real,” Shueisha proudly said when announcing her debut, and now fans of her short-lived career will have to apply that sentiment to their memories as well.
Source: Weekly Playboy Gravure Japan via Hachima Kiko
Top image: Weekly Playboy Gravure Japan
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