I don’t want to gatekeep what is and isn’t aww, but I definitely don’t appreciate the realization that something fake was slipped in right under my nose without warning. AI may be harder to get good results from than I imagine, but if it’s not being presented as exactly what it is upfront, it’s naturally going to fool a lot of people into thinking they’re seeing an extraordinary image.

Come to think of it, this doesn’t just extend to AI. If someone was trying to pass a photo realistic render or heavily Photoshopped pic off as real (and I mean on the level of replacing, grafting and moving parts of multiple images to make something that gets attention for how surprising or special it seems) then I would feel the same way about that. It’s about honesty. I want to see all kinds of mediums on here allowed to shine, but not if it’s done through obfuscation of the medium used.

And also, AI stuff just skeeves me out. I want to be able to filter it out, or just know that there’s a rule against it and another community for that content. There’s something deeply human and heartwarming about an “aww” to me, and if it’s not real, or at least presents itself honestly in a way I can appreciate the love that went into the craft, it’s no longer aww.