"NCT HOME" Exhibition Earns Mixed Reactions For "Creepy" AI Posters, Calling Attention To Idols' Treatment By Their Companies

Immersing fans into the NCT universe, the group participated in an exhibition for fans called NCT HOME. While NCTzens appreciated knowing more about the group through unseen interview clips, an AI-inspired poster for all of the members has earned mixed reactions for being “creepy” and sparking a conversation about K-Pop idols’ treatment by their companies.

At the exhibition, fans who visited the event discovered an interactive screen that appeared to be a type of moving poster. With the swipe of their fingers, one fan made Chenle blink, wink, and smile as if he were there in person.

In another clip, a fan used the swipe of their fingers to move Johnny‘s head in different directions as if he were turning it himself. Though it didn’t seem to bother the fans who attended, seeing how realistic the members’ AI versions were sparked a discussion among international fans.

Gaining support from ten of thousands of fans, one NCTzen pointed out how surreal the interactive posters looked, reminding them of Netflix‘s futuristic show Black Mirror. They weren’t alone in being unsettled by it, either.

Is this weird to anyone else like this is very black mirror to me.. https://t.co/5IKB2NPpFh

— sungchan's bodyguard KIM LIP womb escape (@Iove444eva) February 8, 2023

Fans voiced how “unsettling,” “scary,” and “creepy” it was to see the members’ faces being manipulated in such a way without them present.

I’m impressed and shocked at the same time pic.twitter.com/xfWsX11Dim

— tam♥️ JOHNNY🎉🎂🥳 (@nct_besitos) February 8, 2023

it reminds me of that ai trend that generates made up people at non existing places 😭 like this is so unsettling nobody would make me comfortable enough to like this if this was ever done to me 😭 pic.twitter.com/5nZjENTL1y

— (⁀ᗢ⁀) (@golfIefleurs) February 8, 2023

The original poster shared the same thought process as other fans who saw the posters, pointing out how willing companies were to do whatever they wanted with their artists’ images. There were a few other reasons why the AI-inspired posters made fans uncomfortable as well.

Kpop companies treat their idols like products rather than people it’s really strange

— sungchan’s bodyguard KIM LIP womb escape (@Iove444eva) February 8, 2023

It’s similar to deepfakes, which take the faces of real people and place them on different people, usually without someone’s consent. While they’ve been used for funny moments like BTS‘s Jungkook and Beyoncé being a fake married couple, it’s also been used negatively to create sexually explicit content of female idols. With the lines between AI and consent becoming blurred, fans were understandably concerned.