The new images led to something that happens in almost every high-profile criminal case these days: Social media users are running the images through generative artificial intelligence tools like XAI’s Grok, trying to get a reasonable-looking photo of the suspect without a mask. But AI doesn’t work like that.
better than nothing?
Matt Wallace, a popular distributor of misinformation on X since Elon Musk bought the platform in 2022, tweeted on Tuesday, “Hey @grok Remove the kidnapper’s mask and show us what he looks like.”
Wallace shared the thing generated by Grok with the caption, “This is what I got! Better than nothing,” as you can see in the screenshot below.
The resulting image has virtually no value.
This is a random image of a human face that was created by Grok. It has no connection to reality and is arguably worse than nothing as it will inevitably be spread on X as a potential guide for Internet spies. That’s exactly what happened in the case of the Charlie Kirk shooting suspect.
AI spies are now common
After Kirk’s murder last year, conspiracy theorists like MAGA influencer Laura Loomer ran security camera images through Grok in an attempt to get a clearer picture of the suspect. But as we explained at the time, AI can’t provide more visual information than is actually present. And the images shared by Loomer were later used by Internet users to cast doubt on the true identity of the suspect who was eventually arrested in the case, Tyler Robinson.
After all, the AI-enhanced images didn’t look like Robinson’s because the AI wasn’t providing anything useful. It was simply adding information that wasn’t there, effectively creating the face of a new person that wasn’t based on reality. Other conspiracy theorists took the image and compared it to Robinson’s, insisting that there was some larger conspiracy afoot.
The Nancy Guthrie case is fueling a similar rush by social media users to run these new security camera images through AI. And they’ll be equally disappointed with the results, assuming we ever see a suspect arrested. Based on the latest reports from mainstream news outlets the case is running against all kinds of odds and lack of information.
Nancy Guthrie was last seen around 9:45 pm on Saturday, January 31, after dinner with a local family and was reported missing by her family when she did not arrive at church the next day. According to ABC News, the Guthrie family has received ransom demands that include payment in Bitcoin, but it’s not at all clear how credible they may be.
A man from Hawthorne, California, identified as 42-year-old Derrick Calella, was arrested after allegedly demanding ransom despite not kidnapping anyone. And while it seems likely that Guthrie may have been kidnapped for ransom, no one can say for sure yet.
Kaith Patel is crowdsourcing his case
According to a tweet from FBI Director Kash Patel, the footage released by the FBI was recorded on the morning of January 31, and was “R”Retrieved from residual data located in the backend system.”
Several news outlets have reported that Guthrie “did not have a subscription” to Nest, but it is not clear exactly what Patel means by “backend system.” CNN’s Anderson Cooper said on-air Tuesday night that it had been retrieved from a “remote server.”
The release of the nest footage by the FBI is widely seen as a matter of desperation. But apparently the public doesn’t know what can and can’t happen behind the scenes. And there are likely other security cameras in the area that could be examined for evidence, especially as companies like Ring normalize the kind of mass surveillance we now live under.
there are a lot of idiots around
Matthew Wallace isn’t the only person currently trying to run security camera footage from the Guthrie case through AI. You just have to check out Patel’s answers on
Expressing anger at the FBI, one user wrote, “This entire video can be colored. Why was this not done?”
Some users have also added a variety of flourishes to make the suspect look like their favorite villain, whether they be Hispanic or Palestinian or any number of other characteristics that may be shared by “real” criminals in America, depending on your archetype.
“@Grok can you put a keffiyeh on the head for the photo?” one user wrote on Tuesday, before Grok dutifully complied.
These are probably the stupidest people on this planet. And not just the fundamentalists.
These people have no idea how AI works when it comes to visual information. It is not a magical tool that can provide you with more information than is currently available. AI is just making things up and guessing. The images it is creating right now in Patel’s answers are a colossal waste of time and resources. But
fox news is that stupid
Plus, it’s hard to be too hard on amateur social media detectives. Because Fox News seems to be just as pathetic in its discussion of the case. Jesse Waters, a Fox host who wasn’t invited to Thanksgiving by his own mother because he’s a political extremist, rang in with his expert analysis on Tuesday.
“So you look at him and he doesn’t look like a professional. He looks relaxed, but not very determined. He looks like he’s moving very slowly. Maybe he’s familiar with the house, but it doesn’t look like this guy has done this before,” Waters said on TV Tuesday.
Waters further said that he appeared to be “disorganized” and “probably looked like a local guy, not someone who came in from out of town and targeted Nancy Guthrie.” To be clear, Waters has no expertise to offer on the matter, but that didn’t stop him from speculating wildly for several minutes.
Yes, social media has made everyone an expert. But when mainstream TV channels are filled with people who are just as stupid, you just have to accept that this is the world we live in.
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