Shopper scrutinizes bizarre product found on shelf at Hobby Lobby: 'Makes me think there are many more'

Art made by artificial intelligence has been popping up everywhere over the last few years. It is now making its way into big-box stores through licensed merchandise.

A Reddit user shared a photo of a print of Batman holding a katana in r/mildlyinteresting. In the post's title, they said, "More AI Art being sold at Hobby Lobby, this time officially licensed."

When another Redditor asked how the original poster could tell it was AI art, the OP described parts of the photo: "Just for starters, look at the stacks of the building on the left, it has random blob figures and random points sticking out of it that don't correspond to the rest of the building. … Likewise, the forearm on the left has some sort of blotched shape on it sticking through the armor, as well as not matching the gear from the forearm on the right."

Discerning whether art is made by a human or AI is not always easy.

But it's worth mentioning that companies, especially large ones such as DC, can afford to hire and support human artists. Organizations such as the Human Artistry Campaign prioritize, among other values, fair compensation for human creation and AI transparency.

AI's energy use also harms the environment and humanity. The United Nations Environment Programme reported last year that AI data centers can produce electronic waste that may include mercury and lead.

The International Energy Agency also stated that one search through ChatGPT requires 10 times more energy than a Google search.

While comically bad uses of AI may seem funny before reality sets in, AI isn't purely evil. Researchers can use AI to monitor hedgehog populations and predict hurricane paths. 

Changing AI's energy sources and reducing its energy usage will mean that those aforementioned actions will be more fruitful and fully benefit the environment and humanity.

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A few Redditors also expressed their reactions to this image in the comments.

"Makes me think there are many more AI images in use than we realise and we're just noticing the ones where they were extra lazy," said one person.

"The more I look, the more it doesn't pass the sniff test: windows in the building behind him are all weird, his cape blends into the ground in a way that is impossible, his two right hands are also misshapen….there's more but you get it," another user shared.

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