NOMAD, Birth and Others Named in SecondLife GenAI Blacklist

There has been some chatter on social media about the use of AI-generated images in Second Life—not only in ads but also on actual product textures.

This debate isn’t new. Shoppers have long suspected that some body and head skins, which look a little too realistic, might have been AI-generated. Misrepresentation of products offered for sale is fraud—that much isn’t up for debate.

BlueSky user Maple Moose (angrymaplemoose.bsky.social) has taken things a step further in their disdain for all things created by artificial intelligence. Their critique extends to ads, store assets, hangout assets, and event posters. This sentiment is reflected in the list of businesses they’ve curated on their Google Doc, titled "SecondLife GenAI Blacklist," which is currently circulating on BlueSky.

When I used to run Second Life businesses, I often relied on platforms like Canva to create posters for advertising events. I don’t think I was alone in this.

To me, this blacklist feels like a step (or two) too far—bordering on bullying. Others might argue, however, that Maple Moose is entitled to their opinion.

When it comes to misleading ads with doctored hair or filtered images, the best way to protect buyers is to encourage everyone to view items in-world before making a purchase. I realize this puts smaller creators—those without in-world stores—in a tough spot. But at the very least, they could offer a demo or include a short video showing the product in action.

When I buy furniture, I need to know what poses are included. When I buy jeans, I want to know if my butt looks good—or if my knees are going to glitch through the fabric. And when I buy a blouse, I need to know: will it show just the right amount of cleavage, or is my whole left boob going to be hanging out?

These are the important questions.

So, what do you think? Is calling for a blacklist of Second Life creators who use GenAI content—whether for product textures, event advertising, or anything else—a step too far? Have you ever used AI-generated content in any aspect of your Second Life business?

Let me know your thoughts below!

I’ll be over here rearranging my parcel if you need me.

Sitting at the Cool Kids Table and Wiggling My Pixel Booty

This is my thinking face. Or maybe I smell something. Could be both.

It’s been a weird couple of weeks for me in SL.

Back on the 2nd, I attended a Zoom meeting with Philip Rosedale. Linden Lab was announcing the launch of the web-based Second Life experience (which I’m sure you’ve heard about by now). There were many bloggers there, including some whose work I’ve admired for a long time, like Strawberry Linden. I remember when she was just an SL blogger like the rest of us.

I felt like I was having lunch at the cool kids’ table.

I stayed off camera and stuck to text. It was my very first Zoom meeting ever, so I was careful not to click anything.

After more years in SL than I care to admit, it was also the first time I felt like Linden Lab really wanted to know what we, as residents, thought.

Fast forward to yesterday. While wiggling my pixel booty at Wet Willie’s, I checked in on the forums to see what was new. I happened to see a post from Darcy Linden saying he’d be in-world at 1 PM to talk more about the Character Designer project. It was almost 1 o’clock when I saw the message, so I TPed over.

There was a nice turnout—maybe 10 to 15 of us—plus Kali Linden and Viola Mole. Darcy answered lots of questions and shared a bit more about what to expect in the coming weeks. Granted, most of it was over my head, but I learned a little and it was cool to see the avatars of people I’ve read about on the forums.

Afterward, I went back to my little house, sat on the porch with a hot cup of coffee, and thought, “What is happening? Am I hobnobbing with the cool kids now? AM I A COOL KID???”

And then I got excited, splashed hot coffee down the front of my dress, and realized that no, I’m still the same clumsy, awkward Mahala I’ve always been. I’ll probably have to stay on my sky island for a few days to get back to normal.

I hope y'all have an awesome week ahead. We'll talk again soon!

Character Designer, Freebies and Dean Gets a Makeover

 

Before and After

Did everyone get the free head from Lelutka this Christmas? I decided Dean needed a glow up, so I sent him to get one. We played with the settings, I think the facial hair makes him look more mature. He could probably use some head hair, eventually. And a change of clothes. His career as an adult club greeter is over, so the "gym bro with a touch of organized crime" look needs to change. Something more casual, laid back. Unemployed. 

He also got a new freebie AO (animation override) from the marketplace. He didn't have one before because he was stuck on his SmartBots stand most of the time. It's actually pretty good and you can't beat the price. At least he's no longer standing there waving his ginormous, splayed out hands around like he's looking for a booty to smack.

I'm still holding out before using him to experiment with the new A.I. Character Designer. Currently, if you have multi-factor authentication enabled on your main account, you're not able to connect. This makes me a little nervous, for a few reasons. For the time being, I'll just keep my fingers crossed that this changes in the near future. 

It's a little surprising to me that people have such strong opinions about the use of artificial intelligence.  As someone who watched a lot of 80's sci-fi, I'm excited to play around with it. It's not the flying cars we've been waiting for, but it's something.

Would you try the shiny new Character Designer? What attributes would you give a new A.I. companion? Let me know below. I'd also be interested to know if you want nothing to do with it. 

I hope all ya'll have a safe and happy New Years!

TTFN