Why AI Video Is Net Harmful Today
The author’s attempts to use Sora and other AI tools to adapt a short story revealed a generic, uncanny “AI Video” aesthetic that fails narrative needs. Meanwhile, bad actors exploit AI video to spread misinformation at scale, particularly targeting older adults, while debunking efforts can’t keep pace. The result is a pervasive erosion of trust in visual media, making today’s AI videos effectively harmful.
Key Points
- AI video tools produce a distinct, uncanny aesthetic that feels generic and ill-suited for intentional, coherent storytelling.
- The visual line between real and synthetic is blurring, extending the uncanny look even to human-made videos and fueling distrust.
- Harmful actors exploit AI video at scale to spread misinformation, impersonations, and rage-bait, with older adults especially targeted.
- Efforts to teach detection and verification lag far behind the velocity of misinformation, and audiences often engage earnestly with fabrications.
- Net effect today: AI videos primarily cause direct and indirect harm, accelerating manipulation and corroding public trust in visual media.
Sentiment
The Hacker News discussion exhibits a highly polarized and mixed sentiment towards the article's premise that "All AI Videos Are Harmful." While a significant portion agrees with the concerns about misinformation, erosion of trust, and the "uncanny valley" aesthetic, an equally strong counter-narrative challenges the article's sweeping generalization, advocating for AI as a powerful creative tool and highlighting its potential to democratize art. Overall, the community is deeply divided, with strong arguments presented on both sides.
In Agreement
- AI videos contribute to a flood of low-quality "slop," misinformation, and propaganda, eroding trust in visual media and making it difficult to discern truth from fabrication, especially for vulnerable audiences.
- The "uncanny valley" aesthetic of AI-generated video is subtly wrong and instinctively triggers aversion or makes content feel "empty" and soulless.
- AI removes genuine creativity from the process by automating artistic decisions like cuts, tone, and color grading, making it akin to "cheating" or commissioning work without personal artistic input.
- The use of AI in advertising and content creation leads to a "race to the bottom," prioritizing cost-cutting over quality, with profits benefiting corporations rather than consumers, leading to more jarring and crappier content.
- AI video facilitates ethical concerns such as the unauthorized use of celebrity likenesses and the manipulation of vulnerable populations, intensifying existing societal problems like political influence and fraud.
Opposed
- AI is a powerful tool that democratizes filmmaking and creative expression, enabling individuals to pursue ambitious projects without traditional barriers of budget, connections, or technical skill, akin to a "printing press" for artists.
- Many examples of high-quality, creative, and engaging AI-assisted videos exist where human artists combine AI with traditional editing, storytelling, and acting, demonstrating its potential when used thoughtfully.
- Condemning all AI video as harmful is an overstatement; like any technology (photography, music synthesizers, digital editing), AI can be used for both good and bad, and society will adapt to its presence.
- The "erosion of trust" might be beneficial, forcing people to be more critical of all media and online content, an adaptation needed even before AI due to pervasive misinformation.
- AI can speed up boilerplate or tedious parts of creative workflows, allowing artists to focus on higher-level design and storytelling, acting as a "junior developer" or an efficient assistant.