After SHINee shared a post celebrating their 18th debut anniversary, fans quickly sensed something was off.
On the 25th, SHINee’s official social media uploaded a celebratory graphic marking the group’s 18th anniversary. Set against a mint background, the message read, “Eighteen years on, we respect and love you. Congratulations to SHINee on your 18th anniversary,” with a hopeful note at the bottom saying, “May your path be filled with flowers,” wishing the members a bright future.
While many fans welcomed the message for a team that has stayed active for so long, others raised suspicions that the graphic might have been generated by AI. They zeroed in on the line at the bottom that credited “All Staff,” pointing out that the font looked odd and inconsistent.
Fans at home and abroad reacted: “Why does it look AI-made?”, “Stop using AI,” “We don’t want AI,” “This is lame,” “Didn’t anyone proofread the text?”, and “If this is what you’re doing, don’t post a congratulatory message.”
Meanwhile, SHINee is a five-member group—Minho, Taemin, Key, Onew, and the late Jonghyun—that debuted in 2008. SHINee will release their 6th mini album, ‘Atmos,’ on the 1st of next month.