Artificial Intelligence is everywhere. It answers our questions (hi, guilty as charged!), writes poems, tells dad jokes, and, most controversially in our little corner of the metaverse, creates pictures that pretend to be Second Life.

And here’s the rub: sometimes AI in Second Life photography is helpful, sometimes it’s just… uncanny valley with extra hairspray.

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The Small Stuff: Photoshop’s Sneaky AI

I’ll admit it: I use AI in Photoshop. Nothing dramatic, but if I missed an object in the background of my shot or couldn’t derender that awkward tree branch because I was on the LL viewer, I’ll happily use the AI remove tool. It’s brilliant. What used to be a fiddly job with clone stamps is now two clicks and poof: photobomber be gone.

That, to me, feels harmless; I call it a bit of digital housekeeping.

The Big Stuff: Avatars That Don’t Exist

But then there are the images that make me blink twice. You know the ones: ‘Second Life’ photos that are so clearly not Second Life. Avatars that look like hyper-polished mannequins, with flawless skin, creepy smiles, and hair that’s way too perfect.

And when vendors use AI pictures? Yikes. Nothing makes me less likely to buy a product than a photo that looks like it was generated by HAL’s cousin with a Pinterest moodboard addiction.

Destinations That Disappoint

It’s not just avatars, either. Whole destinations are being “AI-enhanced” into magical realms that don’t exist. The photos look dreamy, mysterious, stunning… until you teleport in and find a half-empty parcel with a sad gazebo.

The disappointment is real.

 

My Own AI Line in the Sand

Now, full disclosure: I use AI too. I don’t Google anymore; I ask ChatGPT. (See? Honesty.) I also use Photoshop’s AI tools now and then to clean up a picture, remove an awkward sign, get rid of a box I forgot to derender, that sort of thing.

One thing I refuse to do: let AI transform Second Life into a place it’s not. If I start generating avatars that don’t exist or destinations that aren’t real, what’s the point of blogging about Second Life at all?

The Fun Stuff

Don’t get me wrong: I’m not completely anti-AI. I love a good meme, I enjoy tinkering with silly AI filters, and I’ll happily waste a Sunday afternoon making my avatar look like it stepped out of a Renaissance painting. But that’s playtime. That’s hobby stuff, not material I’d ever pass off as genuine Second Life content.

And yes, I’m also aware that there’s a whole other layer to the AI debate: how AI is trained on existing content, often without permission, and the very real legal and copyright questions that come with that. I’m not a lawyer or expert on that matter, so I won’t go into that side of things, but it’s definitely part of the broader conversation around AI.

So… To AI or Not to AI?

Maybe the answer is balance. Use AI to fix your snapshots, not to fake a world that isn’t there. Share AI fun (if you must) clearly as AI fun, not as a representation of Second Life. Because otherwise, the next time someone teleports to your “enchanted paradise” only to find a half-decorated garden with a lonely fountain, or unpacks that gorgeous skin or hair from the vendor photo and realises it looks nothing like the ad, they’ll never trust a Second Life photo again.

And honestly? Even AI can’t fix that.