People in London were left baffled on Wednesday by what appeared to be a botched artificial intelligence (AI)-generated Christmas mural showing a Santa-like figure with a half-orange beard and revelers with disfigured faces.
The display in posh Kingston upon Thames in southwest London at first glance seems to depict a jolly crowd enjoying the festive season.
However, closer inspection reveals a disturbing array of figures including people with warped faces, a snowman with strange facial features and dogs with the heads of birds all bizarrely splashing through water.
Photo: AP
A Father Christmas figure is pictured looking pained in the water at the foot of a rock. His eyes are shut, and his beard is half orange and half white.
The large-scale mural looms above several popular riverside restaurants in the upmarket town.
People who had seen it — and others keen to have their say — took to social media for a lively discussion.
“The entire thing is horrendous,” wrote one.
“I’m equal parts delighted and horrified,” another said.
“It beggars belief that if you’re going to use AI you wouldn’t even take a fraction of the time you’ve allegedly saved in producing whatever this is to at least check it a bit,” someone else added.
“This is magnificent,” chimed in another, prompting someone else to respond: “It’s worse every time you look.”
Kingston Upon Thames Council said in a statement it had had “no involvement in the planning or funding of the display.”
“The landowner has now confirmed to us that they will be removing the installation,” it added.
A feud has broken out between the top leaders of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on whether to maintain close ties with Russia. The AfD leader Alice Weidel this week slammed planned visits to Russia by some party lawmakers, while coleader Tino Chrupalla voiced a defense of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The unusual split comes at a time when mainstream politicians have accused the anti-immigration AfD of acting as stooges for the Kremlin and even spying for Russia. The row has also erupted in a year in which the AfD is flying high, often polling above the record 20 percent it
Ecuadorans are today to vote on whether to allow the return of foreign military bases and the drafting of a new constitution that could give the country’s president more power. Voters are to decide on the presence of foreign military bases, which have been banned on Ecuadoran soil since 2008. A “yes” vote would likely bring the return of the US military to the Manta air base on the Pacific coast — once a hub for US anti-drug operations. Other questions concern ending public funding for political parties, reducing the number of lawmakers and creating an elected body that would
The latest batch from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s e-mails illustrates the extraordinary scope of his contacts with powerful people, ranging from a top Trump adviser to Britain’s ex-prince Andrew. The US House of Representatives is expected to vote this week on trying to force release of evidence gathered on Epstein by law enforcement over the years — including the identities of the men suspected of participating in his alleged sex trafficking ring. However, a slew of e-mails released this week have already opened new windows to the extent of Epstein’s network. These include multiple references to US President Donald
CHARGES: The former president, who maintains his innocence, was sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison for a failed coup bid, as well as an assassination plot Far-right former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro is running out of options to avoid prison, after judges on Friday rejected his appeal against a 27-year sentence for a botched coup bid. Bolsonaro lost the 2022 elections and was convicted in September for his efforts to prevent Brazlian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking power after the polls. Prosecutors said the scheme — which included plans to assassinate Lula and a top Brazilian Supreme Court judge — failed only due to a lack of support from military top brass. A panel of Supreme Court judges weighing Bolsonaro’s appeal all voted to uphold
RSS