Hinatazaka46 idol Manami Ono gravure shoot controversy over “sixth” finger

Weekly Shonen Magazine has faced accusations of using artificial intelligence to “improve” an image in its cover shoot of Hinatazaka46 music idol Manami Ono after its widely publicized and shared photo of her seem to feature six fingers.

The magazine was forced to apologize for an “editing” error when fans noticed, and a new image was issued, though the magazine had already gone to print. The issue went on sale on September 2.

In this case, it’s a storm in a teacup: the sixth finger (an infamous sign of generative AI use) seems to be simply Ono’s other hand. However, the edge of the front hand was lightened too much by a zealous image editor, making two hands look like one.

Here is the corrected version.

Manami Ono is a 19-year-old member of Hinatazaka46, having joined the group last year.

More than just a gotcha moment, the minor controversy speaks to the current moment, when we are negotiating how we deal with and accept AI in things like porn, gravure, and idol industry.

Japan has long been fine with 2D and digital/virtual characters, from Hatsune Miki to Rei Ayanami, and the recent explosion in VTubers. AI is just another tool for that.

But at the heart of the idol industry, both gravure and music, is authenticity, and the idea of Photoshop, let alone AI, manipulating their girl-next-door face and body goes against that.

For some in the industry (including the idol Kuriemi), generative AI is a chance to make a quick buck, though reactions have been mixed.

One AI gravure idol photo book by a major publisher was withdrawn when it emerged how uncannily similar the character was to a real idol. AI photo books are selling but for how long once the novelty wears off? We already saw an AI-generated music group years before generative AI became widely available to consumers, but the trend did not develop because ultimately, fans want to support real flesh-and-blood humans.

AI is being used to make porn and design adult toys, but also to undress or animate idols’ images without consent. Some netizens even used Grok AI to make inappropriate images of Princess Kako, prompting outrage.