Something’s brewing over at Loch Ness, but it’s not a sea monster. It’s generative AI and weird images of humps. You thought those old grainy photos of Bigfoot and UFOs were tricky? The chaos is only getting started.
The Loch Ness Centre put AI on notice this month. The storied museum based in Drumnadrochit, Scotland received AI-generated pictures of floating humps on the water’s surface, and they didn’t like it. “Please don’t send us AI pictures,” the Centre’s general manager said, according to the Scottish Sun. But what can you do?
They haven’t had any fakes of plesiosaurs backswimming in the loch. Not yet. But AI images of humps and other odd objects point toward a new age of paranormal hoaxery. They’ve enlisted two agencies to help. Investigators from Loch Ness Exploration and the Loch Ness Project are on the case.
My AI Images of the Loch Ness Monster
1934’s Surgeon’s Photograph is iconic, but even it was a hoax! A toy submarine. At least it was an actual object.
Humps, though? Those might be harder to tell from AI generations. The prevalence and power of AI means the potential for hoaxes has skyrocketed. You don’t have to stage a scene or build a paper mâché Nessie. You can just type a prompt and press a button.
Which is exactly what I’m going to do right now.
I thought I’d give the old AI hoaxing a try. I’m a prompting novice, so these aren’t anything special. Someone with a better model and prompting skills could do much better. Here we go:
A bit close, but not bad. Does that look like Loch Ness? You can’t just render a hump. You have to get the setting right, you know? How about an attempt at semi-realistic plesiosaurs?
What do you think? Do these images look convincing, or does AI have more work to do? Is this a problem, or is AI just another tool in the hoaxer’s toolbox? I don’t think the story here is over, but we’ll see how the paranormal field adapts!
