We don’t need AI videos of fake animals. There are real ones out there and they’re really cute | Rebecca Shaw
TL;DR
Rebecca Shaw argues in the Guardian against the spread of generative AI, especially artificial animal videos that imitate real nature clips. She criticizes the water and energy demands of large datacentres and frames everyday uses such as emails, shopping lists or novelty images as wasteful. Her main point is cultural: AI videos do not only add fake content, they also poison real clips because every cute animal moment now feels suspect.
Nauti's Take
The strongest point is not that AI animal clips look bad. It is worse: they make real images harder to enjoy.
Once authenticity turns into detective work, platform logic wins and the moment is broken. Generative AI can be useful, but synthetic cuteness is a weak use case with surprisingly high collateral damage.
Briefingshow
The piece is less technical analysis than cultural diagnosis. Shaw describes a trust problem that goes beyond deepfakes and politics: if even harmless animal clips need forensic suspicion, the internet loses one of its few simple pleasures. The environmental critique sharpens the question of whether trivial AI entertainment is worth its real-world costs.
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