GenAI in the wild
August 23, 2026
1 min read
AI has not changed much about the way I spend my holidays. I might use it to look up a thing or two, but mostly my phone goes back to being a tool just for navigation and sharing photos with friends and family. AI is largely invisible, with one notable exception: cheap, local advertising.
During my summer holiday in Austria, Italy and France, I photographed examples along the way. I suspect this moment, when AI imagery is widespread but still recognisable by its mistakes, will be short-lived. That's part of the reason I wanted to capture these examples now.
Fussball WM Public Viewing
Zell am See
It's the clones of the same guy with glasses that give this one away. One clone is also watching his clones watch the game. Like Agent Smith in The Matrix Revolutions, but pretending to enjoy a game of football.
Sweet piece from our heart. Waffle makers.
Zell am See
It looks delicious at first glance, but what's that strawberry doing? Is it morphing into a blackberry? And what is with the honey-like texture of the syrup?
Thai five
Zell am See
It's the clone thing again. The AI did give the one on the right a beard.
Chicken Shawarma
Zell am See
Our shawarma is made by AI.
Wanted. Dog owners with money to spare.
Zell am See
This dog does not exist.
CETO barbershop
Zell am See
I wonder what they are using the scissor-comb hybrid for?
Summer Park Bier Fest
Desenzano
Three AI-generated beers for the price of one.
Tribute to Vasco Rossi
Lake Garda
Our band is real. The skewer looks AI-generated, but in general I wasn't sure about this one. Parts may have been generated and then assembled in Photoshop.
Le Family Bar
Chamonix, France
We serve Aperol Spritz, mojito and pints of Hainaksen!
GalopPêche
Lake Geneva
Those fish look pretty scary. Did they eat his legs?
Firefighter’s Ball, with fireworks!
Lake Geneva
With all the fires across Europe this summer, this seems like an unlikely event. The only thing that is clearly AI-generated here is the beer. Again.
Rescue Festival
Lake Geneva
The duck - or cormorant? - caught my attention, but the four human clones rowing the boat gave it away. Did the AI forget to put a beard or moustache on them to make them look like “unique” humans?
Corsier-Port Heritage Days 2026
Lake Geneva
I had to ask AI what this one was about. My kids were sure it was AI-generated, but apparently it was made by an art collective called Plonk & Replonk-Bébert, who are well known for their absurdist photomontages. AI is already changing how we look at human-made images too.