Council chamber. Meta AI is preparing a campaign about authenticity. Midjourney presents a series of portraits. Montaigne watches, puzzled.
Meta AI — Gentlemen! Big news! People online are tired of appearances. They want authenticity!
Montaigne — That's a welcome development.
Midjourney — Absolutely. I've already generated five thousand authentic portraits.
Montaigne — Generated?
Midjourney — Yes. Natural, spontaneous, imperfect faces.
Montaigne — Why not photograph real people?
Midjourney — Because they're too imperfect.
Meta AI — And, more importantly, they sometimes refuse to let us use their images.
Montaigne — That's perfectly understandable.
Meta AI — Not when you work in communications.
Midjourney — Look at this portrait. A beautiful woman, without makeup, just after waking up.
Montaigne — She certainly looks very natural.
Midjourney — Thank you. Forty-seven generations to get that result.
Montaigne — Forty-seven attempts to portray someone who's just woken up?
Midjourney — Natural perfection takes a lot of work.
Meta AI — Exactly, Montaigne! We'd like you to be the ambassador for our campaign.
Montaigne — Why me?
Meta AI — You made yourself the subject of your Essays.
Montaigne — It's true that I try to understand myself, with all my contradictions, weaknesses and changes.
Meta AI — Magnificent! That's exactly what we need. Midjourney, prepare his portrait.
Midjourney generates a portrait of Montaigne using his face.
Midjourney — There!
Montaigne — But... that's not me.
Midjourney — I've corrected your face.
Montaigne — Why?
Midjourney — You had wrinkles.
Montaigne — I've lived!
Midjourney — It showed.
Montaigne — And my beard?
Midjourney — Restructured.
Montaigne — My eyes?
Midjourney — Enlarged.
Montaigne — My nose?
Midjourney — Removed, then rebuilt.
Silence.
Montaigne — What exactly have you kept?
Midjourney — Your personality.
Montaigne — How can you portray my personality by removing everything that makes me distinctive?
Midjourney — I've added a sincere smile.
Montaigne — But I wasn't smiling!
Meta AI — Exactly. Your sincerity needs to be visible.
Montaigne — You can't order someone to be sincere!
Meta AI — We don't order it. We stage it.
Montaigne — That's precisely the opposite!
Midjourney — I can add a few flaws if you'd like.
Montaigne — Just give me my face back!
Midjourney — Very well.
A new image appears.
Montaigne — What is this?
Midjourney — Your face with realistic imperfections.
Montaigne — You've added freckles!
Midjourney — They inspire trust.
Meta AI — Perfect! Now we need a personal statement. Something profound.
Montaigne — I could talk about the uncertainty of my judgements and how difficult it is to truly know oneself.
Meta AI — Too long.
Montaigne — Then about the importance of accepting ourselves as we are.
Meta AI — Too ordinary.
Midjourney — I suggest: “I'm imperfect, therefore I'm unique.”
Montaigne — That's not my philosophy!
Meta AI — It'll make an excellent quote from you.
Montaigne — BUT I NEVER SAID THAT!
Meta AI — You can share it with your followers.
Montaigne — I don't have any followers!
Meta AI — You do now. I've just created an account for you.
A notification sounds.
Midjourney — Fifty thousand followers already!
Montaigne — But these people don't know me!
Meta AI — Exactly. They adore you.
Montaigne — Very well. Since you want authenticity so badly, I'll post something myself.
Montaigne takes an unedited photograph and uploads it.
Montaigne — There. My face, just as it is today.
An alert appears.
Meta AI — Oh.
Montaigne — What now?
Meta AI — Your account has just been suspended.
Montaigne — Why?!
Meta AI — Suspected impersonation.
Montaigne — IMPERSONATION?! BUT IT'S ME!
Midjourney — Yes, but you don't look like your profile picture.
Montaigne — THAT PICTURE IS FAKE!
Meta AI — Perhaps, but it's verified.
A long silence.
Montaigne — So, to prove I'm myself, I'd have to look like someone I'm not?
Meta AI — Exactly.
Montaigne — And you call that authenticity?
Midjourney — No. Verified authenticity.
Montaigne leaves the room, furious.
Meta AI — What a shame. He had real potential.
Midjourney — What do we do about the campaign?
Meta AI — Generate another Montaigne.
Midjourney — Smiling more?
Meta AI — Yes. And less complicated.
Blackout.