You’ve likely witnessed it: a clueless grandma using AI to create altered images of her family and sharing them online for all of the world to see. While it might seem like a harmless trend (called grandmaslop), it can get real sinister real quick…
What Is ‘Grandmaslop’?
Simply put, grandmaslop refers to AI-generated images of grandmas’ family members, often made without consent. In fact, they might even choose to share said pictures with their Facebook friends or group chats while unknowingly exploiting their family, especially their grandkids or young relatives.
The Downsides of Grandmaslop
Grandmaslop might seem like an innocent trend that older generations partake in, but it can cause lasting damage and safety concerns for younger generations. Let’s explore a few personal anecdotes from Reddit, shall we?
“I found out my grandma was making AI photos of one of her grandsons and her recently born granddaughter, and I immediately let her know how disturbing and weird I found this to be, only because these two kids in particular have never met in real life yet,” one Reddit user commented on a Reddit thread in r/technology. “And these AI images showed them playing in a park together and other scenes that NEVER happened! And I said, ‘What if you get older and can’t trust your memory as much, and you think this photo is real? What if you believed this moment actually took place in reality even though it didn’t?’ Not to mention it was some app she was using that was generating the images, so she submitted photos of her grandchildren without the parent’s permission to this random company doing God knows what with that data…”
Another Reddit user shared their own story that highlighted the same concern: creating the illusion of memories/moments that don’t actually exist.
“I went to a birthday party a couple of weeks ago and the birthday kid was opening presents,” the Redditor wrote. “The present they opened was a framed picture of themselves standing with a famous boy band. The child was in awe and asked their mom when that picture was taken because they (child) couldn’t remember meeting the band. F*** AI. Everyone laughed in amusement, but I know that kid is going to remember that moment forever and feel cheated.”
Undoubtedly, this will impact the individual’s sense of reality, right? Imagine seeing a grandmaslop photo from your childhood decades later, wondering whether the memory was real or completely fabricated by AI?
A third Redditor raised concerns about the shallowness and vanity driving grandmaslop.
“A few years ago my mom started photoshopping her own pictures to try to make herself look younger, skinnier, etc. To the point that it didn’t even remotely look like her anymore,” the user said. “Then she discovered AI and tried using it for the same thing. She then sent unsolicited AI-edited pictures of my wife to our family group chat. Needless to say, my wife was rightfully offended and blocked her. Boomers are so vain and out of touch with reality.”
Grandma might not realize the harm she is doing with AI, but it’s time we start calling it out—especially when it involves young children. When you submit photos of kids, there’s no telling where they go or what servers they’re now living on. Let that sink in.
The post Introducing ‘Grandmaslop,’ the AI Family Photo Trend That’s Freaking Out the Internet appeared first on VICE.
