Charity Stokes Suspicion It May Have Used AI-Generated Images For Ads

Nobody really bats an eye when they see someone else share artwork they’d just dreamed to life using artificial intelligence anymore. However, where is the line drawn?

Brows were raised when a UK food charity promoted images of what look to be AI-generated images of impoverished children. “Millions of Ethiopian children are struggling from the worst drought in 50 years. Donate now,” the call to action reads.

The advertisements from Charity Right, which is registered with the British government, have made their rounds on the Midjourney-focused subreddit, PetaPixel reports.

      Am I tripping or did this Charity use ai generated images for their ads?
by       u/Hna7 in       midjourney    

“Am I tripping or did this charity use AI-generated images for their ads?” one user asks in a popular Reddit post.

Others have noted that Ukraine’s blue and yellow colors, seen on the shirt of one of the figures, often turn up in the results of charity-themed prompts on programs like Midjourney.

Some of the subjects have different colored eyes and facial hair. There are artifacts in their hair and clothing too.

As with the case of many AI-generated images, the hands in the advertisements have misshapen fingers.

this charity is using a midjourney AI created girl in their ads pic.twitter.com/zjc48q0U4K

— Shibetoshi Nakamoto (@BillyM2k) April 20, 2023

In the image above, the water in the bowl doesn’t reflect its surroundings.

PetaPixel notes that the seemingly AI-made artworks are only being promoted on Reddit, and that Charity Right’s other channels use real photos of real people.

Does AI take the human out of humanity?

The main criticism of these advertisements is that nonprofits come across as less genuine when they stage photos of people in need. AI generation amplifies this perception since the humans in the pictures don’t even exist.

Users lament that such images aren’t helping their suspicions about where charities are truly forwarding funds to. “Seriously though, I like the idea of charities but I absolutely cannot trust many of them… There’s no assurance that your money isn’t lining somebody else’s pocket instead of going to the cause it’s intended for,” writes a Redditor.

“I have mixed feelings about it,” says one person under a separate post.

Others are looking at the silver lining that real children aren’t being exploited.

“[I have] no problems with it; [it] stops exploiting kids,” comments one person.

One person who says they volunteer at a charity empathizes with the choice of using AI to create content. They also claim to have been tasked to generate similar pictures for their cause too.

“These kids are super vulnerable,” they stress, adding that charities cannot use photos of “random kids” without signed authorization by the children’s guardians.

“We absolutely [do] NOT want to use a real kid’s tragedy and exploit it,” they elaborate. “Kids go to local school. If local kids see them on the poster, they might bully them,” they further reason.

[via PetaPixel and r/midjourney, images via various sources]