NVIDIA’s AI technology DLSS 5 has already caused quite a stir on social media and in forums. It is supposed to use AI for more realistic lighting conditions in games, but the examples it provided for facial enhancements received anything but enthusiasm.
What kind of AI is this? DLSS 5 is an AI model that aims to retroactively enhance the graphics of games in real-time through upscaling to make them look photorealistic. NVIDIA demonstrates how it looks with a preview that showcases DLSS 5. The tech experts from Digital Foundry also show in an initial hands-on what this technology can achieve, using the example of Grace Ashcroft from Resident Evil Requiem:
More realistic hair with improved shadows, better light reflections in the eyes, and the environment itself show that the AI enhancement can achieve impressive results. However, there is a catch that the community cannot ignore: Grace has simply received a completely new face.
More pronounced cheekbones, fuller, reddish lips, and distinct contouring, blush, and highlights: A look that some influencers would be proud of, yet it strongly resembles a TikTok filter or a generically AI-edited face of female characters.
A large part handles this with memes, as we have shared with you here on our Instagram. However, especially female gamers seem rather exhausted: “We are struggling with hardware shortages and rising energy costs, and the ‘innovation’ we get for that is an AI that simply gives female figures lip fillers and makeup?” (yummypaprika on Reddit)
Female gamers do not want enhanced faces, but art
What disappoints female gamers so much? In a subreddit for female gamers, user yummypaprika shares her reaction to the DLSS 5 preview, which many other female gamers can relate to:
“Does anyone else find the AI previews of DLSS 5 totally creepy? I saw this preview of Resident Evil Requiem and I’m just… exhausted?”
A lot of other female users in the subreddit can relate to yummypaprika’s resignation. There is nothing to criticize about the concept of enhanced lighting or graphic upscaling. However, Grace’s “enhanced” face, which looks more “realistic” with DLSS 5 but corresponds even more to a current beauty ideal thanks to AI, does not have fans of this technology.
“DLSS 5 disturbs me so much that I would rather throw my Nvidia card out the window,” writes SmileyKitKat. ComfortabletheSky also states: “I don’t need a filter with this weird AI face, which will likely cause all characters to look strangely similar – I want the art that the game should actually have! I’m really tired of this crap.”
What other problem do players see with DLSS 5? The AI preview makes it clear that the enhanced lighting in the game achieves such a change in the face that it reminds some players of the typical AI girlfriend from dubious ads. Not only does it highlight a specific beauty ideal, but it also overrides the actual intention of the art direction:
“It ruins the artistic design of everything it touches. I have absolutely no interest in these AI-slop filters in my games” (iDaddyDirection on Reddit).
Opinions about DLSS 5 are highly divided in the gaming and tech community. On the one hand, NVIDIA describes it as one of the “most significant breakthroughs in computer graphics since the debut of real-time ray tracing”; on the other hand, the results for faces receive less acclaim. Perhaps AI should help with house sales instead: A man sells his house, asks ChatGPT how to paint the walls: “Expectations exceeded”
