Singer Kate Ceberano has voiced strong disapproval of an artificial intelligence-generated image that depicted her in tears while holding a phone showing a picture of herself with the late actor Sam Neill. The image, which suggested it was of Ceberano reacting to their "last photo" together, was shared on Instagram by the singer on Monday.
"What the actual…!!!!!! My first interaction with an AI version of myself. I nearly threw up," Ceberano, 59, wrote in her caption. She expressed sympathy for those who had commented on the post, believing it to be genuine, and stated her shock at the development.
The AI image was posted by the Facebook page Golden Era Hollywood, which is known for creating and sharing AI-generated celebrity content. The page's caption for the post detailed a supposed deep bond between Ceberano and Neill, describing their time together at the Sydney Awards as their "last public moment" and reflecting on their friendship after his passing.
The post received numerous supportive comments from followers, with some expressing grief for Neill and others sharing condolences for Ceberano's supposed loss. "Beautiful Kate, it's so sad I love you both," one user wrote.
Golden Era Hollywood has previously published similar AI-generated images of other Australian celebrities, including Nicole Kidman and journalist Laura Tingle, depicted as crying following Neill's death.
Sam Neill died on July 13 at the age of 78. His family announced his passing, stating it was "sudden and unexpected" and occurred in Sydney, Australia. They mentioned he was surrounded by family and had remained cancer-free, having previously undergone treatment for stage three angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma. The family requested privacy during their period of mourning.