Netflix True Crime Doc Caught in AI Image Scandal

Netflix has come under fire for allegedly allowing an AI image to feature in their new true crime documentary What Jennifer Did.

The 86-minute feature-length doc comes from the BAFTA-nominated Jennifer Popplewell, whose previous film, American Murder: The Family Next Door, is another Netflix original.

What Jennifer Did details a horrific story out of a quiet Canadian town which saw intruders break into the home of Vietnamese immigrants, leaving the daughter as the only witness.

Popplewell's film includes police interrogation footage and testimony from those involved in an attempt to unravel the story, but it's not the film's central story that has gotten people talking.

Futurism was the first to report that Netflix was accused of using AI-manipulated images throughout the documentary.

The photo in question appears about a third of the way into the film, where Jennifer Pan - the aforementioned daughter - is seen smiling, holding up peace signs.

Upon closer inspection, you can see Jennifer's hands have been manipulated. Fingers are missing, and parts of her hand look disjointed and unnatural.

While this is all speculation for now, with no comment from Netflix, this should alert audiences to pay closer attention to the media they are consuming.

New film Civil War is currently facing controversy over AI-generated adverts, and the indie feature Late Night With the Devil recently fell under scrutiny for using AI images in the film.

AI was a huge reason behind last year's strikes in Hollywood, where both the actors' and writers' guilds stood in solidarity against the threat their jobs face by the ever-growing hazard of artificial intelligence.

The fact an AI image has possibly been allowed to slip into a true crime documentary about a woman currently facing a life sentence with eligibility for parole after 25 years is deeply concerning.