Netflix Accused Of Using AI Photos In True Crime Documentary: See Proof Here
Netflix has been accused of using images edited or generated using artificial intelligence in its new true crime documentary, "What Jennifer Did," without proper disclosure.
The documentary written and directed by Jenny Popplewell explores the story of Jennifer Pan, who was convicted of a murder-for-hire plot targeting her parents in Canada in 2010.
After the feature debuted on April 10, however, Futurism alleged that some of the images used by the documentary to depict Pan as "happy" and "confident" before her conviction appeared to have been generated or manipulated using AI.
One of the shots that allegedly showed "hallmarks of an AI-generated photo" featured Pan grinning at the camera.
A closer look at the image revealed that one of Pan's ears appeared deformed, and one of her two front teeth looked much longer than the other -- despite being of the same length in other photos.
A second image used by Netflix featured Pan using both hands to make "peace" signs as she posed in front of a bookshelf.
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Futurism pointed out that the door and objects on the bookshelf behind Pan looked distorted.
Pan's hands, fingers, nose and shoulder in the image also allegedly had signs of editing.
A close-up photo (found at the top of the story) of Pan sticking out her tongue and holding up a "peace" sign allegedly also had similar AI hallmarks.
All three photos appeared to have been taken on the same day as Pan was seen sporting the same sleeveless red top with a plunging neckline and dangling earrings in the snaps.
Discussing Film noted that the credits of "What Jennifer Did" did not include any mention of AI tool use.
Netflix has not publicly addressed the claims as of this writing.
However, this did not stop viewers and social media users from slamming the streaming giant and documentary creators for the alleged use of AI.
"Manufacturing evidence in a true crime doc is so so so crazy," one user wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
"Netflix using generative AI images in a true crime doc is extremely irresponsible and exactly what archivists are telling documentaries not to do," another commented.
A third comment read: "Netflix using AI for this documentary called 'What Jennifer Did' is so reckless. [What the f**k] 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?"
"What Jennifer Did" was Netflix's most-watched title last week, Variety reported. The documentary garnered 18 million views within the first five days of its release.
The feature looks back on the night of Nov. 8, 2010, when armed intruders allegedly broke into the home of Pan's family, shot her mother Bich Ha Pan dead, and left her father Hann Pan injured and in a coma.
While Pan claimed to police that she did not know the men who assaulted her parents, her father -- after waking up from the coma -- later alleged that his daughter was friendly with the intruders, who were identified as Pan's.ex-boyfriend Danny Wong and two other men.
Pan, Wong, and the two men she hired were convicted of first-degree murder and attempted murder in connection with the incident, according to Time magazine.
In 2015, all four were sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for the murder and life in prison for the attempted murder.
Last year, they were granted new trials after appealing the murder convictions. No date has been announced yet for the trials.
"What Jennifer Did" is now streaming on Netflix.
