Reviewing the increasing menace of AI-generated ‘documentaries’ on the ‘net

There has never been a more robust public conversation around artificial intelligence and ethics than since the late summer of 2022. That was when a small handful of tech companies made the first proprietary text-to-image AI art generators available to the public. For the unfamiliar, the growing field of AI art refers to machine learning platforms trained on vast amounts of text and visual data scraped from the Internet, which, when combined with text-to-image technology, allow users to describe any scene at all in regular language – meaning, human as opposed to computer programming languages, and have it output any number of amazing images based on these text prompts. The fact of AI is already being a part of everyday life aside, the emer­gence and swift evolution of specific technology that allows people to create visuals in seconds using text prompts has generated a huge and contentious debate in the art world and creative industries. Many of its detractors call it a job killer for human artists, while supporters herald it as the most revolutionary thing to happen to visual media since the invention of photography. One of the most concerning aspects of the many questionable uses of AI is the creation of deepfakes and faux-documentaries. This hyper-realistic alternative vision raises the question of the integ­rity of the future historical record, given that apparently “documentary” images can be fabricated in this way. Given that anyone can now create fictional historical documentary with near-perfect accuracy and since the viral nature of image sharing on the Internet does not lend itself readily to fact checking, it isn’t hard to draw the conclusion that, without strong critical media skills, it will become increasingly difficult for laypeople, or even veteran media practitioners, to tell reality from the manufactured. Here we look at some of the disturbing “documentaries” originating mainly in the United States about Peter which claim to have privileged insight into his life and and career.

The visual content of the 50.13-minute ‘documentary’ entitled, ‘The Tragic Story of Alan Bates & Peter Wyngarde – The Gay Love Hollywood Destroyed’, has clearly been mustered by AI; a fact that hasn’t gone unnoticed by at least some of those unfortunate enough to have stumbled upon it. For instance, to illustrate the time-worn yarn about Peter’s arrest in 1975, the image below is shown on screen. The person in the shot looks more like an inmate of Guantanamo Bay than Gloucester Police Station.

Tut! Tut! Peter would never wear orange with handcuffs!

We then have this image below; quite who THIS is meant to be is anyone’s guess! It would seem that the AI bot simply grabbed any image on the ‘net featured a bloke with dark hair and a ‘tash to show the casual viewer what Peter looked like. Oh, dear!

Above: Any man with a moustache will do!

The individuals behind Hollywood Confidential go on to tell us the following: “During Hollywood’s Golden Age, being gay was not a private matter — it was a career-ending threat. Studios enforced silence. Relationships were erased. Marriages were staged. Love was hidden behind contracts. Behind the screen idols were real relationships — shared homes, shared lives, and shared secrets — hidden to preserve an illusion of masculinity America demanded. It is a historical record of gay erasure in classic cinema. If you want to understand Old Hollywood as it truly was — not as it pretended to be — this channel opens the files they tried to destroy. Hollywood Confidential — the gay history Hollywood denied.”

I would be interested to see the “files” these people have supposedly opened to expose this rubbish. As previously stated, all they’ve done is trawl the internet for any bit of tabloid tittle-tattle and unsubstantiated online gossip, which is then passed off as an extensively researched exposé. In reality, it’s poorly created, utterly misleading and excruciating in every sense of the word. If it was a horse, someone would surely show the poor creature some pity and put it out of its misery!

While there will always be a small number of credulous people out there who will believe every word of this trash, I would suggest that no one with an ounce of intelligence could possibly be taken in by this kind of grubby nonsense. That said, it’s really sad that the technology which is now become so readily available online is being used to create the kind of unadulterated junk as discussed here.

They claim to be taking viewers on a nostalgic journey to reveal rare stories, unseen footage, iconic legends, vintage scandals, and the timeless beauty of Hollywood’s past – with emphasis, of course, on the “scandal” bit. Not a single long-dead actor is left unmolested. Amongst those having their names dragged through the mud are Richard Burton, Peter O’Toole, Sid James, Oliver Reed, Bill Maynard(!), Stewart Granger and our own Peter Wyngarde.

They entice the curious and incurably gullible to “hit that subscribe button and step back into a world where style, drama, and artistry ruled the screen.” Really? To anyone with a modicum of intelligence, however, this channel is merely a platform from which to blacken the names of departed actors and actresses who can no longer can defend themselves.

‘Pure Evil: 15 British Celebrities of the 70s Who Scandalized the World!’ ‘ is the title of the sudo-documentary in focus here where, lumped in with the likes of serial paedophiles, Jimmy Saville and Rolf Harris, is our own Peter Wyngarde, it’s claimed, coerced, abused and generally drove his fellow thespians, producers and directors to the point of suicide! All this, it’s asserted,, is “well-documented”,. but given that none of these ‘documents’ are ever produced, we’re just expected to accept their word.

Needless to say, all these assertions are lies upon lies upon lies; manufactured by a person or persons unknown, who are so absolutely certain of what they’re saying, they choose to obscure themselves behind a username and remain uncontactable.

In direct opposition to the claims made by those behind ‘Vintage Uncovered’, Peter was in fact greatly respected within the acting profession, with many of his fellow actors and producers singing his praises – both as an actor and man. Here are just a few of the quotes about him:

“I always felt that any success the show (Department ‘S’) had was due in no small part to Peter’s ability and imagination He was a fabulous actor and a good pal.” Joel Fabiani – Co-Star, Department S “I remember working with Peter was always fun – he is such a stylish actor. He was a true gentleman..” Dame Diana Rigg – Actress “Working with Peter was a scream – he’s such a hoot!” Felicity Kendal – Actress “He was funny and quick and bright. I think the professionals are professionals, and he’s one of those. He hasn’t any inflated idea’s about himself. He’s completely unpompous, and I didn’t find him the least bit phoney.” David Bailey – Photographer “Peter was always a very courteous man, easy to work with, and who behaved off screen with the same suave sophistication that some of his on-screen roles demanded.” Dennis Spooner – Producer, Department S/Jason King “Peter Wyngarde played Langdale Pike – a Victorian Nigel Dempster in ‘The Three Gables’, which opened the 1994 season of ‘The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes’. As always, Peter was distinguished by his rapier wit and style. A memorable performance.” June Wyndham-Davis – Producer, ‘The Three Gables’

The creators of this abomination should hang their heads in shame, ‘tho somehow I doubt they ever will!

Despite the host looking AI-generated himself, his “mission” is a simple one: “To bring these untold, or at least severely under-told, stories back into the spotlight. Shining a light on the bizarre decisions, the public meltdowns, and the strange twists of fate that shaped careers and cemented legacies – sometimes for all the wrong reasons.”

“For every carefully curated success story,” he/it waffles on, “there are a dozen tales that defy belief. Moments of madness, miscalculation, and sheer, jaw-dropping audacity that somehow got lost in the shuffle of fame. This is where Weird Showbiz History” steps in. If it’s a tale that makes you gasp, cringe, or burst out laughing, it probably belongs on this channel.”

Once again, it’s just the same old rehashed nonsense that had been peddled repeatedly for decades with the host, whoever he might be, adding his own take. None of the people responsible for these channels have any real insight into Peter’s life, and yet they prattle on as if they’re bringing something new and fresh to the world.

Conclusion

The worst thing that tech companies could have possibly done was allow the general public access to Artificial Intelligence based on some of the content that’s already online. Now every Joe and Joanna see themselves as a gifted reporter or documentary maker without bothering to do even the most rudimentary research themselves. They merely repeat what they or, more likely, their AI bot has dredged up from the darkest recesses of the internet; someone’s random musings on a forum, or a bit of timeworn tabloid sensationalism that has been endlessly embellished over the years. Pub chat has now become podcasts and “documentaries” which, alarming, are often accepted by the deluded and guidable as accepted as the gospel truth which is then disseminate to others. They appear unable to grasp the concept that these podcast and “documentaries” are produced by people who have no more insight than a clothes peg, and improvised in someone’s back bedroom! On the whole, the individuals that present these things choose to remain faceless – almost certainly because they know what they’re claiming won’t stand up to scrutiny or challenge, with those who do provide an email address simply refuse to respond. Like the cartoon character, Mr. Magoo, they cause carnage and untold upset to those of us who actually knew the person they’ve chosen to trash. They they ride off into the sunset without bothering to look back at the damage they’ve done. Sadly, there will always be those who will use their new-found power to cause harm. We’ve seen social media being turned into a cesspit. AI is just another tool for those who wish to be heard to turn the volume up to 11.