Blue Planet III features cloudier footage to prove authenticity amid AI boom

BBC series Blue Planet III is set to include "cloudier, less polished footage" in order to combat AI-generated content and reassure viewers of the show's authenticity, according to its producers. The David Attenborough-narrated series, returning nearly a decade after its predecessor Blue Planet II, aims to showcase cutting-edge technology and unprecedented animal behaviors.

To maintain authenticity, producers have decided to leave elements such as plankton and water conditions that previously might have prompted edits in place, viewing them as part of the show's "organic" aesthetic. The executive producer, Elizabeth White, emphasized that AI makes them strive for even greater authenticity, stating that the deep-sea creatures are "probably more remarkable than AI could imagine and it’s completely real."

For the first time, the BBC has confirmed that no generative AI was used in the series, with Jack Bootle, the BBC's specialist factual commissioning head, assuring journalists that all footage is real photography. Notable sequences in the series include dolphins using sea sponges to trap fish and grouper communicating with other species.

The programme also explores threats to the ocean, such as climate change and plastic pollution, and features never-before-seen behaviors captured through innovative filming techniques like a "deep-sea selfie stick" and lasers used to illuminate deep-sea creatures.