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Professional Cosplayer Enako Tells Fans: Saying 'You Look Like AI' Is Not a Compliment
posted on by Ken Iikura-Gross
On October 16, professional cosplayer Enako took to her X (formerly Twitter) account with a musing regarding generative AI. Her message was not about the ethical use of nor even how people use the technology, but rather about an emerging trend of "complimenting" her photos as looking like AI.
The professional cosplayer stated, "I feel uncomfortable when AI devours my photos and then mass produces photos that look like me, so the words 'You look like AI' are not a compliment at all." It's unclear if the cosplayer is speaking about comments on photos she has uploaded to her social network platforms or comments she has received in person, but this has occurred enough for her to speak out on the subject.
AIに自分の写真をめちゃくちゃ食われて私っぽい写真を量産されて不快な思いをしているので「AIみたい」って言葉は全然褒め言葉じゃないです🙂↔️
— えなこ (@enako_cos) October 16, 2024
I feel uncomfortable when AI devours my photos and then mass produces photos that look like me, so the words "You look like AI" are not a compliment at all.🙂↔️”
As of press times, her post has garnered 3.8 million views and 38,000 likes.
Enako's comments also come at a time where questions concerning the ethical use of generative AI in media have arisen. Most recently, SAG-AFTRA went on strike in August after the union was not able to negotiate a deal with several videogame companies over the "consent, compensation and transparency with regard to digital replicas and generative AI systems used to create synthetic performances."
Although the professional cosplayer is not directly commenting on the ethical use of generative AI, the technology, or at the very least, the commentary about her looking like AI, is frustrating her.
