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AI selfies - and their critics - are taking the internet by storm

By Tatum Hunter

08 Dec 2022 · 5 min read

A new AI app can take your selfies and generate a portrait of you as a fairy princess or create other “magic avatars.” It’s become one of the most popular apps around. At least this week.

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This week, millions came face to face with AI-generated versions of themselves thanks to the app Lensa, which uses machine learning to spit out illustrations based on photos you provide. People took to social media to reflect on how the portraits made them feel - and who stands to lose when AI art goes mainstream.

"I think I have a fairly decent self-image, but I looked at the images and I was like, 'Why do I look so good?'" said James, a Twitch streamer who declined to give his last name to keep his social media presence separate from his day job. "I think it shaved off a lot of my rough edges."

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