The discovery of what comes up when you Google the composer Ludwig van Beethoven has sparked a huge discussion online as people debate the rise of artificial intelligence.
German composer Beethoven died in 1827, but his works, which include Moonlight Sonata, The Emperor Piano Concerto, and Für Elise, means he remains one of the most recognizable names in history.
This legendary status is likely contributing to anger around what comes up when you Google his name: rather than the famous Joseph Karl Stieler portrait, or any other recognizable portrait of the composer, the image accompanying his name is made by artificial intelligence (AI).
The Google discovery was pointed out in a viral post on Reddit by user u/PeopleAreBozos, with the image bearing the tell-tale smoothness of AI art, and it racked up 35,000 upvotes as commenters let their frustration be known.
Newsweek ran the image through multiple AI checkers, all of which gave a probability of between 93 to 98 percent chance of having been generated by AI.
One user shared the iconic Stieler portrait in the comments of the r/mildlyinfuriating post, asking: “Why on earth would anyone need that picture to exist when you have this in public domain?”
“I’m so done with finding AI images when I just want an actual, real image. Especially when having it in AI brings absolutely nothing, it’s just a slightly worse version of the portrait we already have,” another complained.
One simply labeled it “disgusting”, and another said “I hate it so much how AI ruined Google images. I can’t even look at it anymore.”
The image also made it to the popular X account Insane Facebook AI Slop, racking up close to 7,000 likes of its own, where one commenter despaired, “the internet is actually dying”.
It appears the image was originally posted on the website LVBeethoven.com, which describes itself as a “resource for everything Beethoven” and features multiple AI-generated images.
It is not an official site for the composer: Beethoven.de is the official site for the Beethoven-Haus museum and cultural institution based in Bonn, Germany, where he was born.
Newsweek reached out to LVBeethoven.com for comment.
Getty/ brandstaetter images
The controversy of AI-generated art is well-publicized: Shawn Simpson, visiting lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh, wrote in a recent opinion piece for Newsweek that “AI art is a real problem, and we need to make an effort to address it.”
He shared the story of a visual artist who had lost a commission after the company generated images themselves through the AI program Dall-E, and told the artist they no longer needed their services.
“If we care about keeping human artists employed and producing great works of art, something must be done,” he wrote, suggesting a ban on at least some AI art or supporting artists through public grants could be an option to protect creatives in the future.
Media artist Boris Eldagsen also wrote in an opinion piece for Newsweek where he described how he won a prize in a photography competition, using Dall-E to generate an image.
He stated he came clean to the organizers but was told he could keep the prize. Eldagsen refused to accept the award, stating photography and AI should not compete with one another as they are separate entities.
Newsweek has contacted u/PeopleAreBozos on Reddit for comment.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.