Will Smith opened the U.K. leg of his Based on a True Story Tour over the weekend, marking his return to the stage in support of his first album in two decades. The shows drew sold-out crowds, but the rollout was quickly eclipsed by backlash surrounding a promotional video uploaded to his official YouTube channel.
The clip, designed as a thank-you to fans, featured a montage of concert moments. Yet viewers immediately flagged glaring flaws caused by artificial intelligence.
Faces appeared warped, features blurred, and hands stretched into unnatural shapes. In one scene, a woman’s headband seemed to cover another concertgoer’s wrist.
Another image showed a man clutching a sign with twisted fingers. The message on the sign read, “‘You Can Make It’ helped me survive cancer. THX Will.”
The online response was blistering. “Imagine being this rich and famous and having to use AI footage of crowds… tragic, man,” one fan wrote.
Another questioned why Smith’s team would bypass videographers in favor of “degenerative slop.” Others cited timestamps where AI inconsistencies became unmistakable, calling the project “embarrassing.”
The criticism highlights a larger cultural debate: the tension between technology and authenticity in music. Smith has long embraced innovation, but this episode shows the risks when novelty overshadows sincerity, especially in live performance. Fans, who prize connection, were left alienated by visuals that felt more synthetic than celebratory.
The controversy also coincides with scrutiny of Smith’s new record. Based on a True Story, released in March, is his first full-length since 2005’s Lost and Found.
Reviews have been mixed, with detractors labeling some songs “corny” or “half-baked.” That response echoes a familiar critique of Smith’s rap output, which often divided critics even during his ’90s commercial peak.
Smith is not alone in facing backlash for AI’s intrusion into live music. Earlier this month, Rod Stewart drew condemnation after projecting an AI-generated Ozzy Osbourne alongside digital recreations of Prince, Tina Turner, Bob Marley, Kurt Cobain, and Michael Jackson during a tribute performance. Many fans dismissed the gesture as exploitative.
As Smith’s tour progresses, the uproar underscores a central question for artists: can audiences embrace AI-enhanced spectacle without sacrificing the authenticity that makes live music matter?
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