Fans weren't having SM Entertainment's teaser for NCT 127.
On July 8, NCT 127 officially released their "Intro: Wall to Wall" teaser on their official SNS. The track video is for their upcoming sixth mini album "WALK," which will be released on July 15, at 6 p.m., KST. Additionally, a pre-order link has also been added to the post.
However, fans were enraged with certain gestures made by the company. In one of the scenes in the track video, a few consecutive photos of "Taeyong" were shown. Many fans claimed that these images were seemingly AI-generated by SM Entertainment to fill in Taeyong's presence.
For additional information, Taeyong enlisted in the military on April 15 and was sent off by his fellow bandmates.
On social media platform X (Twitter), fans expressed outrage towards SM Entertainment. They called out the agency for its decision to use AI and replicate real people. Moreover, fans also pointed out that Taeyong was excluded from a list of names.
— TAEYONG: TY TRACK in Cinemas Oct 16 and 19 (@podofskywhales) July 7, 2024
The reactions to the post were mostly negative, as fans slammed the agency for being disrespectful and exploitative. Read their reactions below:
"Most of this MV is top-notch and stylish, but I think you ruin it by using AI imagery of Taeyong. Please re-edit the MV to include an actual old picture of Taeyong during concerts."
"There's no need to take lazy shortcuts that lower the quality and are disrespectful to the artists."
I really dont care if you dgaf about taeyong, i need EVERY kpop stan to call out SM's use of AI here to depict REAL PEOPLE. this is so so soooo dangerous and SO disrespectful. We as an audience need to show that we are NOT okay with this before it becomes normalized, bc it WILL https://t.co/rO8d96aI7G
— user | AOTY Taeyong - Tap (@sunny_day127) July 7, 2024
— 🌹taeyong's military huswife🌹 (@cosmicrosety) July 7, 2024
Let me help you typics. Look at his nostril it's never thattttt big. 2nd pic, his nose now too round. And he lost a finger. 3rd pic, AGAIN, LOST A FINGER. He has a very sharp nose and have all fingers on both hands https://t.co/YlGBfyTHSWpic.twitter.com/JbvWxdKBW8
Not the four fingers 😭. I need someone who knows AI to explain to me why they always mess up the number of arms, legs, fingers and toes more than any other part of the body https://t.co/p3O25IRSWi
using the past clips from concerts would be so much better considering the lyrics... wht made them think this was a good idea 😭 https://t.co/pmPiaWBVPM
im honestly fine with sm excluding taeyong for this 127 comeback at all, much better than this ai generated of taeyong like that's so disrespectful of SM! https://t.co/15NtQ14cus
In other news, Taeyong responded to NCT's collaboration with Starbucks through his Instagram Stories. The coffee brand has been included on BDS' (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) boycott list in relation to the ongoing conflict in Palestine.
Many have voiced their concerns to SM Entertainment and protested against the collaboration. However, in a now-deleted Instagram Story, Taeyong uploaded a pitch-black photo with the caption, "Boycott."
This immediately grasped the attention of netizens, who praised Taeyong for seemingly voicing his stand on the topic.
What are your thoughts on the video? Are you looking forward to NCT 127's comeback? Let us know in the comments below!
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