The UK’s Royal Navy has released a new short feature film on YouTube, throwing us right into the action with its official photographers.
Life Through The Lens documents what it’s like to be a camera operator in the British Royal Navy, from documenting the split-second chaos of combat to the drawn-out, somber funerals of those lost in the line of duty.
Much like Capa, McCullin and other famed war photographers of the past, the interviewed Navy personnel tell gritty stories of documenting some of the most emotionally and physically challenging moments of their lives.
But unlike the famous photojournalists of conflicts gone by, they face a new challenge – one they say will never be able to create something as “visually strong” yet “authentic to military life” as they can: artificial intelligence (AI).
ABOVE: Watch Life Through The Lens
According to former Royal Navy photographer Sean Clee: “AI can’t replicate what we do. It can’t go out on the ground. It can’t search out human interest stories.” Clee served for a quarter of a century in the Navy, the latter 15 years with a camera in hand.
While on deployment in Afghanistan, he captured the immediate aftermath of a rocket-propelled grenade explosion close to his unit. “There’s gotta be a face out there,” he said, adding that “AI can’t find these things.”
And it would appear that, at least for now, the UK military forces have no plans to replace their photographers with AI in any way. Wording in JSP 936, the Ministry of Defence (MOD)’s principal policy framework, states that the UK armed forces reject the use of AI that risks harming institutional credibility.
Credibility is what Chief Petty Officer Hoare – also interviewed in the featurette – says is at the heart of Royal Navy photographers’ work.
“Imagine using an AI image of made-up sailors instead of sailors that are actually doing the job,” he said. “We’re capturing real life […] we don’t lie about what we do.”
Life Through The Lens, the new photography mini-documentary from the Royal Navy, is now available to watch on YouTube (embedded above).
It’s not only a visceral insight into what these photographers endure to capture their images, but also a real-world refute of AI – demonstrating the limits of the technology through a unique line of photography.
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