Meg Lanning gets AI slop treatment in team promo

A promotional video for the Manchester Super Giants, featuring former Australian cricket captain Meg Lanning, has been met with widespread criticism for its heavy reliance on artificial intelligence and its numerous inaccuracies. Lanning, who joined the Hundred franchise in January shortly after its rebranding from the Manchester Originals, appears in the AI-generated video with a digitally smoothed and unnaturally shining face.

The video, which follows the team's renaming after being acquired by Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka, showcases classic hallmarks of AI-generated content. Beyond Lanning's altered appearance, the video depicts a taxi with gibberish license plate and opening batter Aiden Markram seemingly bowling in the wrong direction. Another female player, possibly Maitlan Brown, is shown clenching her fists with excessive jewelry, which is impractical for playing cricket.

Perhaps the most glaring errors occur in a simulated diving catch by a wicketkeeper. The AI rendering presents a wicketkeeper wearing batting gloves while attempting a spectacular catch, and a fielder, potentially an AI's interpretation of Jos Buttler, is depicted wearing batting pads and diving in front of a brightly lit light tower in broad daylight. Fielders and an umpire dressed in traditional whites stand behind him, adding to the scene's disorientation.

The use of AI in sports promotions is becoming a trend, but this video has particularly highlighted the pitfalls. The Instagram account "The Wicket Keeping Coach" humorously questioned the wicketkeeper's attire, while many commenters lamented the lack of transparency regarding the AI's use and the overall poor quality. The video's accompanying song, with lyrics like "Red in the dark, blue in the sea," has also added to the confusion, seemingly attempting to unite rival Manchester football fans through the team's color scheme.

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A few questions about the wicket keeper