When working with a client recently, we decided to test AI’s capability to generate a complex historical photo: a black-and-white image of American army recruits getting vaccinated. It seemed simple enough — recruits in a line, sleeves rolled up, a medic with a needle, and the tension of an impending jab. But as anyone familiar with AI image generation knows, things rarely go according to plan.
Our AI Image Generation Request
We asked for a historical black-and-white photo of a line of army recruits with their sleeves rolled up, waiting to be vaccinated by a medic, in an open military camp. The scene was to capture the tense atmosphere of midday under overcast skies, shot with a Leica Q2, 28mm lens, in a monochrome palette with high contrast.
What We Got Instead: A Series of AI Fails
When the first draft came in, we were… perplexed, to say the least. These were definitely not American army recruits. The scene was tense, sure, but it looked more like a surrealist painting gone wrong.
So, we clarified, asking again for AMERICAN recruits. The second attempt? Still off the mark. The recruits had strangely shaped faces, unrecognizable uniforms, and some bizarre headgear on the medic. And crucially, no one’s sleeves were rolled up, ready for the jab.
Getting More Specific: “Sleeves Must Be Rolled Up”
“Sleeves must be rolled up,” we emphasized to the AI. “OK, let’s try that again,” was the response. This time, the AI made sure a sleeve was rolled up—but it was the sleeve of the medic doing the injecting (maybe). The rest of the image was a confusing mess, including a figure in the center missing a forearm and wearing what appeared to be a paper mask.
Clarifying Again: “Show a Medic with a Needle”
Hoping to guide the AI further, we prompted it to show a medic with a needle in hand. The AI complied: “Sure, here you go. A line of recruits with sleeves rolled up, and the medic is holding a needle.” Unfortunately, the medic held the needle in a way that made injection nearly impossible.
“Why is the needle upside down?” we asked, trying not to upset the AI’s artistic genius. The AI responded, “It seems there was an issue with the generation of the image, causing the needle to appear upside down. This can sometimes happen due to the complexity of interpreting certain details in the prompt. I’ll regenerate the image with a focus on ensuring the needle is held correctly by the medic. I’ll take care of that now.”
Ready for the result? We’re sure you’re going to love it.
Why We’re Sharing This Hilarious AI Blunder
Navigating AI image generation can be a comedy of errors, and it’s experiences like these that reveal the unpredictability and quirks of AI technology. We’re sharing this not just for laughs, but to highlight the limitations and occasional absurdity of relying on AI for seemingly simple tasks. While AI has made incredible strides, moments like this keep us grounded, underscoring the importance of human oversight, clear communication, and a good sense of humor when things go awry.
At Facet 58 Consultants, we always customize our work to the specific needs of our clients, and this experience reinforces why that personalized touch is so essential. In an era where AI is often seen as a magical fix-all, these blunders show that a guiding human hand — and sometimes a nudge in the right direction — is still necessary, especially when the task is as deceptively simple as rolling up a sleeve.
Stay tuned for more AI antics!
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