Deepfakes appear to be becoming increasingly creepy, with characters from major series such as Harry Potter and Game of Thrones routinely receiving the AI (artificial intelligence) treatment.
Now, same technology has envisioned what the two-dimensional cartoon characters in South Park might look like if they were performed by actual humans – and it’s unsettling, to say the least.
It’s been nearly 30 years since South Park debuted, exposing TV viewers to the vulgar world of Stan, Kyle, Eric, and Kenny.
Even if they’ve never seen the show, they’ll identify the gang by their trademark round features, googly eyes, and simple, block-colored clothes.
A YouTuber going by the moniker @demonflyingfox posted a video in which the AI application Midjourney was used to morph not just the quartet, but numerous other South Park characters, into near-real life figures.
But, of course, being AI, you can tell something is wrong just by looking at them, from the unsettling blinking to the erratic motions of their heads.
‘The blinking is very unsettling for some reason,’ Reddit user Djent_1997 wrote, while potheadpig responded: ‘It’s because it’s not natural, you can definitely tell it’s not a real person.’
PJRama1864 also wrote: ‘Welcome to the uncanny valley,’ while taimeowowow remarked that the depiction of Mr Garrison gave them ‘nightmares’.
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The same YouTube user, demonflyingfox, uploaded the AI photos on Instagram with hashtags like ‘#aiartcommunity’ and ‘#aiportrait’.
An Instagram user named Austin was at the top of the comment area, expressing their dislike for AI, writing: ‘If this wasn’t AI, it would be awesome.’
However, several users were more optimistic, with one even stating that they ‘hope this was genuine’.
South Park has never shied away from causing controversy, as it did again in December last year with the publication of an episode aimed at OnlyFans.
The episode, titled South Park: Not Suitable for Children, left one viewer feeling’scarred for life’ after seeing it.
South Park is available to stream on Paramount Plus.
After the video was published on Reddit and the photographs were posted on Instagram, South Park fans flooded the comments section to voice their thoughts on the outcome.
Many people were unimpressed with the AI-generated creation, which is understandable.