A theory on why Lensa is turning us into AI thirst trappers with its ubiquitous portrait app
SalonOver the past week or so, word began to spread that there was a free one-week trial of the Lensa AI: Photo & Video Editor app that would allow you to upload 10-20 selfies and have artificial intelligence spit out 50 avatars in under an hour. Prior to Sunday I didn't know what it was either, but am I now in possession of 50 AI-created portraits of myself ranging in thematic expressions, from "oh wow," to "am I holding a wand?" Square, ultra-glossy images of someone in your feed — perhaps your old college buddy, or brother who lives in Staten Island — appearing to be floating in space with a backward hand and a "band t-shirt" with gibberish on it because AI doesn't know about Fleetwood Mac. This used to not-so-secretly upset me to such a degree that one time, many years ago, when I asked a co-worker if she'd think I was cute if she didn't know me and just saw me walking down the street and her reply was "this is a trap," I took that to mean "you are the ugliest person I've ever seen in my life" rather than the more logical "we're friends, so this is weird."
History of this topic
Artist Charlie Engman’s unsettling AI images of the human body
CNN
A rocky past haunts the mysterious company behind the Lensa AI photo app
NPR
Explained | What are the safety concerns surrounding AI app Lensa?
The Hindu){kind=avatar}
What is Lensa AI and how to use the app to generate AI avatars?
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