--- title: "Netflix Uses Seemingly AI-Manipulated Images in True Crime Doc" description: "Netflix has used what strongly appears to be AI-generated photos in a new murder-for-hire plot documentary called \"What Jennifer Did.\"" date: "2024-04-14" modified: "2024-04-14" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/netflix-what-jennifer-did-true-crime-ai-photos" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "documentary" - "generative ai" - "image generators" - "netflix" - "the digest" --- # Netflix Uses Seemingly AI-Manipulated Images in True Crime Doc ![]() *\Image: Netflix / Futurism\* ## What Netflix Did Netflix has used what strongly appears to be AI-generated or -manipulated images in a [recent documentary]() about a [murder-for-hire plot]() involving a woman named Jennifer Pan that took place in Canada back in 2010. The streaming service used the photos to illustrate her "bubbly, happy, confident, and very genuine" personality, as high school friend Nam Nguyen described her. The images that appear around the 28-minute mark of Netflix's "What Jennifer Did," have all the hallmarks of an AI-generated photo, down to mangled hands and fingers, misshapen facial features, morphed objects in the background, and a far-too-long front tooth. ![]() ![]() ## AI True Crime Needless to say, using generative AI to describe a real person in a true-crime documentary is bound to raise some eyebrows. We've come across examples of companies coming up with fictional, AI-generated material as set dressing —a recent episode of HBO's "True Detective" [featured bizarre, AI-generated posters]() in the background of a shot. But resorting to the tech to generate pictures of a real person, especially of somebody who's still in jail and will only be [eligible for parole around 2040](), should raise some alarm bells. This isn't inventing a fictional narrative for the sake of entertainment — this is tinkering with the fabric of reality itself to manipulate a true story that actually happened. Futurism has reached out to Netflix for comment. **More on AI-generated images in media:** *[\[UPDATED\] AI-Generated Poster Confirmed in "True Detective"]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()