Videos by According2HipHop
Will Smith is catching heat from fans who believe the rapper-actor used artificial intelligence to inflate the size of his crowds on tour.
The 55-year-old star is currently promoting Based on a True Story—his first studio album in two decades, released in March—with a run of live shows. Ahead of the UK leg, Smith posted a highlight reel on Instagram showing him performing to a sea of cheering fans. “My favourite part of tour is seeing you all up close. Thank you for seeing me too,” he wrote in the caption.
But online critics were quick to question whether all of those fans were actually real. A Reddit thread dissecting the video pointed to what appeared to be telltale AI glitches—distorted faces in the crowd, warped body parts, and oddly rendered signs, including one that read, “You Can Make It helped me survive cancer. THX Will.”
“Imagine being this rich and famous and having to use AI footage of crowds and bot comments on your video. Tragic, man. You used to be cool,” one commenter wrote. Another mocked, “Someone in the crowd was holding [an] arm that moved. Hahahaahahahah, this is pathetic.”
Some viewers, however, suggested the odd visuals could be the result of image upscaling rather than AI manipulation. Still, many fans expressed disappointment at the possibility, with one calling the clip an “abomination” and accusing Smith of relying on “degenerative slop” instead of simply hiring professional videographers.
Smith has yet to address the criticism directly, but the debate highlights just how quickly fans are spotting—and calling out—possible AI trickery in the live music space.
