The criticism is about the ethics of it all.
5 minutes ago
BTS member Jungkook has landed himself in an unexpected controversy with a single social media update.
Jungkook | Calvin Klein
Jungkook, who is currently touring the US for BTS’s ARIRANG World Tour, recently changed the display picture of his Instagram and TikTok profiles with a green-and-golden illustration of his official “JK” logo.
Jungkook’s new profile pic on Instagram and TikTok! pic.twitter.com/kuSOPqcdWG
— Fan | JJK Times (@JJK_Times) May 1, 2026
When fans noticed this change, many expressed concerns that the illustration appeared AI-generated. Aside from running it through AI-detection sources, which flagged it as an AI-generated photo, many also manually analyzed the finer details of the illustration before expressing their suspicion.
100% ai btw (i know very well that jk can also draw but there’s a lot i see here that screams ai) pic.twitter.com/47he0RecO5
— yeehaw⁷ 🎉 IS SEEING BTS (@lluhaw) May 1, 2026
Jungkook using AI was not on my 2026 bingo list pic.twitter.com/iXZDS445rv
— Nico ( ◕ᗜ◕ ) (@XBubbletaexx) May 1, 2026
Some also brought up his previous usage of generative AI for his phone lockscreen, adding fuel to the backlash.
grok on lock screen and using generative ai for something an illustrator could do, he just uses ai for everything now pic.twitter.com/DcCUYJfjA6
— fifi (@popboyjimim) May 1, 2026
Given that multiple BTS members, including Jungkook, had previously opposed the use of AI in producing art, these suspicions sparked a considerable volume of criticism for the singer.
jungkook honey i know you’re artistic i hope this isn’t ai….. pic.twitter.com/LGo7HsGQ09
— `miy (@swykoobie) May 1, 2026
so it is ai? man jungkook come on babydoll i know you can draw better than an genai ever could https://t.co/iRJ3hpMTmc
— moni⁷| #46 (@yoongisbatman) May 1, 2026
Yall jumping OP but there is a certain way AI generated thing looks.. and this look EXACTLY LIKE IT 😓😓 I am afraid he is a pure project of this generation in this particular subject https://t.co/GqTP363sPt
— Maida⁷✊🏾⊙⊝⊜ is SWIM-ing (@MaidaloveBTSfor) May 2, 2026
However, many fans defended Jungkook fiercely, with some arguing that AI usage wasn’t a big deal, while others insisted that the idol likely created the illustration himself.
I dont care if 🐰s new dp is ai or not, what i care about is why tf are you TRYING TO PROVE that it is, are u gonna get a cookie if it is or what????
— 정국 ‘s Kuls⁷ IS SEEING BTS💜 ⊙⊝⊜ (@wannaseeJKin3D) May 1, 2026
Why are we talking about this ???? And who cares ????? This doesn’t change the fact that he is a really good artist. Y’all just nitpick everything and get members dragged for the smallest things. https://t.co/Zo6B5K7E0s pic.twitter.com/3aTVBpXEFu
— ᴬᴿᴵᴿᴬᴺᴳ𝙹ꪱׁׅꪱׁׅɳυ⁷ ^᪲᪲᪲⋆⊙⊝⊜ (@jeongurlism7) May 2, 2026
Y’all are so jobless omfg https://t.co/ntY8T3udPn
— ୨ৎ🪻 (@koosvixen) May 2, 2026
imagine accusing jungkook for using ai on his latest ig profile picture when he’s a talented artist himself and the person behind all these works pic.twitter.com/YJyff8qVaG
— gideon 😈 (@kgkoomi) May 2, 2026
.https://x.com/kokominisan/status/2050218527861379543?s=20
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