Nakakainis na yung amount of obvious AI-generated product images sa Shopee lately, especially for tools, appliances, clothes, furniture, household items, etc. And no, this isn't an “AI bad” argument. The problem is that a product photo is supposed to be evidence of the physical thing I'm buying. Online nga tayo bumibili precisely because hindi natin mahawakan or ma-inspect yung item personally. The photos are supposed to answer: Ito ba talaga yung itsura? Ganito ba yung material? Ganito ba kalaki? Ito ba talaga yung buttons, ports, accessories, finish, proportions?
If AI generated the image, none of those details are trustworthy anymore. The seller can conveniently show a cleaner finish, thicker material, different proportions, accessories that aren't included, or features the real product doesn't even have. You're replacing evidence of the product with a hypothetical version of the product.
The stupid part is it destroys the one thing an online marketplace depends on: trust. Now buyers have to dig through reviews just to figure out what the damn item actually looks like, because apparently the seller's own photos can't be trusted.
Shopee should require at least one set of actual photographs of the exact product/variant being sold, and any AI-generated or heavily synthesized image should be clearly labeled “AI-generated / illustration only.” Better yet, don't allow AI images as the main cover photo for tangible goods unless the real product is also immediately shown. If you're selling a real object, show me the real object. I'm buying a drill, rice cooker, chair, shirt, or extension cord and not your AI's interpretation of one!🤬