A new mobile application named ‘Hotshot’ claims to enable its users to generate artificial intelligence (AI) group photos. This technology allows one to create images of themselves socializing with friends, even if the event didn’t take place in reality. The app is being touted as a way to be ‘virtually present’ at gatherings when one can’t or doesn’t want to attend in person.
The workings of the app are simple, as advertised on its listing on the Apple App Store. To create these images, users scan their face and let the app learn their facial features. After learning the user’s face, Hotshot then generates photos of them in any situation or style they desire. However, to include their friends in the photos, users must grant the app access to their contact list.
The AI photos are generated by an AI art generator called Midjourney, which has previously been involved in major social media campaigns such as the Harry Potter and Balenciaga campaign.
Once the user has scanned their face into the app, they can select the style of photo they want, choose a friend to add, and then give a prompt for the scene or setting. Despite the app’s innovative claims, some test photos shared by Hotshot’s creator, Aakash Sastry, didn’t exactly deliver on their promised realism.
Sastry has stated that the quality of the photos is bound to improve over time as the AI model is increasingly used and refined. Users can share the images via iMessage if they are content with their current quality.
The new app hasn’t been met with universal praise, however. A significant chunk of feedback online voiced skepticism and concern, primarily due to the app’s required access to users’ contacts. Public sentiment raised questions about privacy, consent, and the potential for misuse of personal images. While tech investor and Reddit co-founder, Alexis Ohanian, has expressed enthusiasm for the app, many users are wary of potential abuse and criminal activity that could arise from non-consensual use of personal images.
Despite the mixed reactions, Hotshot is currently available for free on the iOS App Store. Nevertheless, it seems advisable for potential users to secure permission from friends before utilizing their images in the process.
