Will Smith Faces Fresh Backlash Over ‘AI Audience’ in New Video: ‘Tragic, Man’

Will Smith was at the center of some backlash after several people accused the “Gettin’ Jiggy With It” rapper of doctoring a video of his performance by using artificial intelligence (AI) to add to the crowd.

Smith, 56, shared a video on his YouTube channel on August 12 that featured a packed stadium cheering him on as he commanded the stage. Several of the fans held up signs praising the former Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star, with one sign reading, “‘You Can Make It’ helped me survive cancer. Thx Will.”

However, not all of his fans were buying the performance.

“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,” wrote one disappointed YouTube user in the comments section.

Another pointed out that one of the signs a fan was holding up in the audience changed from one second to another, saying, “Crazy how the sign changes at 0:41 to 0:57. Truly magic.”

In the first image the sign appeared to read “LOV U Fresh Prince,” but on the second pass it said, “LOV U Fr6sh Prince.”

Smith, who was once one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars, has been hit with major setbacks in his career since he infamously slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars in 2022. While the Independence Day star later apologized for his behavior at the awards ceremony, he has failed to return to the A-list standing he once had.