An Upcoming Girl Group's Latest Concept Photos Come Under Fire For Using "AI Levels" Of Photoshop

AI idols are something that is becoming a lot more common in K-Pop. Whether it’s aespa’s Naevis, SUPERKIND‘s Saejin and Seung, along with girl group MAVE:, it’s something that took fans back but has brought something new to the industry.

AI girl group MAVE: | *@MAVE_Official/Twitter*

Well, it seems as if one girl group has taken the concept of AI to a whole new level… but with real idols. MEPC is a rookie girl group that has come under fire multiple times before even debuting.

At the end of 2022, some of the first trainees who would allegedly debut were revealed through profiles. The brutal pre-debut profiles became a hot topic as the members were ranked in different areas. One of the initial members set to debut was Aria, but the Indian idol has since left the company and debuted with the group X:IN.

Yet, it seems like the group has once again gained attention for all the wrong reasons. On June 19, GBK Entertainment shared posts of three of the trainees that were candidates for debuting, with many believing the hashtag “Busted” had something to do with the concept.

When the different posts were put together on Instagram, it showed completely brand new members called Kkekke, Solmi, and Hara standing like dolls in what seemed like test tubes.

The new photos of the potential debuting idols | *@mepc_official/Instagram*

Although on the surface, the photos seemed like an interesting concept, it was immediately met with anger from fans.

In the RTs of the image shared by the well-known account @nugupromoter, fans couldn’t hide their anger at the “Photoshopping” of the trainees. In particular, many believed that the company had done it with AI-generated bodies.

Them photoshopping the faces of their trainees on the body of some models is already bad but did you know:

They rated the visual of their idols then published the results, were accused by a black trainee of telling her to bleach her skin, get a nosejob and lose weight if she https://t.co/rt79IZh0Zt

— Nox Dawn 🐸 (@NoxDawn) June 19, 2023

having our first Tunisian and Nepali idol is super exciting, but that depends on if they actually debut. and also, calling them busted and doing that much editing is……… https://t.co/GPgizIWc1j

— foreign kidols! (@foreignkidol) June 20, 2023

there’s so much to unpack here but are we sure these are real girls and not virtual ones…? https://t.co/dHAAItzXbs

— the user formerly known as mask loona (@futchoona) June 19, 2023

I called out this company for the excessive AI photoshopping weeks ago and said that the girls natural beauty deserved to shine

AND THEY BLOCKED ME???????? https://t.co/VP9T39hMQI

— Mollie Jane | NO PERTH NO CLOUT (@PerthItBoy) June 19, 2023

i do not trust the company running this group in the slightest… the excessive, cheap-looking photoshop & AI makes it clear the company doesn’t actually care about making mepc a legitimate artistic endeavour. i hope the girls get out of this busted company and into a better one. https://t.co/34MuBT0s7k

— kayla! (@hyuka_jpg) June 19, 2023

Even on Reddit, netizens couldn’t hide their feelings, with many not being too surprised by the company’s behavior, especially considering their past actions.

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by u/Exzime69 from discussion MEPC have revealed 3 ‘busted’ (debut candidate) members: Kkekke (Myanmar), Solmi (Tunisia), Hara (Nepal)
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by u/fannytraggot from discussion MEPC have revealed 3 ‘busted’ (debut candidate) members: Kkekke (Myanmar), Solmi (Tunisia), Hara (Nepal)
in kpop

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by u/PeachyPlnk from discussion MEPC have revealed 3 ‘busted’ (debut candidate) members: Kkekke (Myanmar), Solmi (Tunisia), Hara (Nepal)
in kpop

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by u/Tatamashii from discussion MEPC have revealed 3 ‘busted’ (debut candidate) members: Kkekke (Myanmar), Solmi (Tunisia), Hara (Nepal)
in kpop

Many netizens have even pointed out that the company and group have been full of so many red flags that it can’t be a real project. If the company thought it was a good promoting technique, the members’ abilities would continue to get overlooked by the production.

You can read more about the group below.