Netflix has reportedly used what appear to be AI-generated or manipulated images in a recent true-crime documentary.
“What Jennifer Did” is about a murder-for-hire plot involving a woman named Jennifer Pan that took place in Canada back in 2010. The streaming service allegedly used photos to depict her personality, which her high school friend Nam Nguyen described as “bubbly, happy, confident, and very genuine.”
At around the 28-minute mark of the documentary, several images show Pan with twisted and distorted hands and fingers, misshapen facial features, objects in the background that have morphed, and an excessively long front tooth.
Jennifer Pan in the trailer of the Netflix true crime documentary “What Jennifer Did,” shows her with misshapen fingers. Credit: NetflixHowever, in later pictures, the features have altered, for example, the previously long front tooth now appears uniform. If true, the report raises serious concerns about the use of such images in documentaries, especially since the suspect depicted is currently in prison awaiting a retrial.
Jennifer Pan in trailer of Netflix true crime documentary “What Jennifer Did,” seen with what appears to be AI image manipulation. Credit: NetflixAI image generators notoriously have a hard time making pictures of human hands. It’s hard to determine exactly what occurred during the editing process, but it’s possible that the producers used a single image as a source to create additional “photos.” However, the resulting output could be perceived as biased rather than impartially presenting the case facts.
Ontario’s Court of Appeal ordered a new first-degree murder trial for the Toronto-area woman in 2023, as the trial judge said the jury should have been given more options.
There has been backlash online, with one social media user accusing the service of relying on AI instead of hiring workers to do the job. Futurism writer Victor Tangermann stated: “Resorting to the tech to generate pictures of a real person, especially of somebody who’s still in jail and will only be eligible for parole around 2040, should raise some alarm bells.”
Netflix using AI for this documentary called What Jennifer Did is so reckless. Wtf is wrong with these streaming services? There are so many talented journalists, graphic designers, producers, etc. Why not use A HUMAN to get this right?
— Jurnee