{"slug": "genai-in-the-wild", "title": "GenAI in the wild", "summary": "A photographer documented AI-generated advertisements across Austria, Italy, and France during summer 2024, capturing examples of flawed AI imagery in local ads for events, food, and services. The images, including a 'Wanted' poster for dog owners and a barbershop ad, show telltale signs like cloned faces and morphing objects, highlighting the current limitations of generative AI in real-world applications.", "body_md": "AI has not changed much about the way I spend my holidays. I might use it to look up a thing or two, but mostly my phone goes back to being a tool just for navigation and sharing photos with friends and family. AI is largely invisible, with one notable exception: cheap, local advertising.\n\nDuring my summer holiday in Austria, Italy and France, I photographed examples along the way. I suspect this moment, when AI imagery is widespread but still recognisable by its mistakes, will be short-lived. That's part of the reason I wanted to capture these examples now.\n\nFussball WM Public Viewing Zell am See\n\nIt's the clones of the same guy with glasses that give this one away. One clone is also watching his clones watch the game. Like Agent Smith in The Matrix Revolutions, but pretending to enjoy a game of football.\n\nSweet piece from our heart. Waffle makers. Zell am See\n\nIt looks delicious at first glance, but what's that strawberry doing? Is it morphing into a blackberry? And what is with the honey-like texture of the syrup?\n\nThai five Zell am See\n\nIt's the clone thing again. The AI did give the one on the right a beard.\n\nChicken Shawarma Zell am See\n\nOur shawarma is made by AI.\n\nWanted. Dog owners with money to spare. Zell am See\n\nThis dog does not exist.\n\nCETO barbershop Zell am See\n\nI wonder what they are using the scissor-comb hybrid for?\n\nSummer Park Bier Fest Desenzano\n\nThree AI-generated beers for the price of one.\n\nTribute to Vasco Rossi Lake Garda\n\nOur band is real. The skewer looks AI-generated, but in general I wasn't sure about this one. Parts may have been generated and then assembled in Photoshop.\n\nLe Family Bar Chamonix, France\n\nWe serve Aperol Spritz, mojito and pints of Hainaksen!\n\nGalopPêche Lake Geneva\n\nThose fish look pretty scary. Did they eat his legs?\n\nFirefighter’s Ball, with fireworks! Lake Geneva\n\nWith all the fires across Europe this summer, this seems like an unlikely event. The only thing that is clearly AI-generated here is the beer. Again.\n\nRescue Festival Lake Geneva\n\nThe duck - or cormorant? - caught my attention, but the four human clones rowing the boat gave it away. Did the AI forget to put a beard or moustache on them to make them look like “unique” humans?\n\nCorsier-Port Heritage Days 2026 Lake Geneva\n\nI had to ask AI what this one was about. My kids were sure it was AI-generated, but apparently it was made by an art collective called Plonk & Replonk-Bébert, who are well known for their absurdist photomontages. AI is already changing how we look at human-made images too.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/genai-in-the-wild", "canonical_source": "https://koenvangilst.nl/lab/genai-in-the-wild", "published_at": "2026-08-23 00:00:00+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-08-23 17:13:36.552862+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["generative-ai"], "entities": ["Zell am See", "Lake Garda", "Chamonix", "Lake Geneva", "Plonk & Replonk-Bébert"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/genai-in-the-wild", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/genai-in-the-wild.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/genai-in-the-wild.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/genai-in-the-wild.jsonld"}}