AI Is Terrible. These 8 Generated Skiing Images and Videos Prove It

One of the scariest parts of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for creatives like writers, photographers, and designers is the worry that AI will replace the need for actual human creatives.

While those of us in these professions know that our minds and skills could never be replaced or replicated, there's no doubt that there are folks who would rather save a dime and use AI, even if the results are lackluster.

In skiing specifically, the general argument from those of us opposed to AI has been that AI will never be able to experience skiing the way a living, breathing, feeling human does, and therefore, will never be able to replace those who create based on that experience.

When it comes to sports photography in particular, there's a similar sentiment that AI might be able to create a generic ski image, or even one that emulates a specific person or place. Still, it can never replace the ability to capture the authentic human experience as a photographer could.

We could write an essay on all the reasons AI will never be able to replace the human experience, but that’s a different (and scary) can of worms. So, instead, we decided to run a little test and see just how bad AI is at creating ski images.

We used OpenArt AI for the first two images, but it booted us out if we didn't pay, so we switched to Adobe's AI program, Firefly. There's no doubt we were trying to stump AI with these prompts, and that someone more skilled in using AI might achieve better results than we did.

Keep reading for the terrible AI-generated images and videos we created/found, or use the Table of Contents below to navigate throughout the article. Make sure to read our conclusion at the end.

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AI Prompt: "Skiing in deep powder."

First, I decided to keep it easy and high-level, and typed ‘skiing in deep powder' into OpenArt's image generator, and it gave me these:

They’re a fine start, except that both these skiers are so far in the back seat of their boots. Additionally, if they were actually making what we call 'marketing' turns, as they would be if they were skiing for a camera, the snow would be in front of them, not behind.

The tracks in the sunset photo also suggest snow that’s more like a refrozen crust than powder, and the setting seems like the skier might be in the backcountry, without a pack or any avalanche safety gear. But hey, it’s a nice try.

AI Prompt: "A skier skinning uphill in the Tetons at sunrise."

Next, I tried typing in ‘A skier skinning uphill in the Tetons at sunrise,’ to Adobe Firefly and got this:  

We'll give AI credit for the Tetons, skinning, and the sunrise, but I’m not sure where exactly this is supposed to be. I supposed I could have been more specific about actually skiing in the Tetons, but even so, this mystical butte that the skier seems to be on just doesn't exist.

Also, where on Earth did that cabin come from? Everyone knows real estate in a location like this would be far more expensive. Lastly, the attention to detail is dismal. Why is this person carrying a second pair of skis on their back and wearing their helmet in inconsequential terrain on the uphill? Better luck next time, AI.

AI Prompt: "Skier in a halfpipe doing a switch left 720 mute."

Next, I figured I'd give AI a chance to pull from some more widely covered ski events and typed in ‘skier in a halfpipe doing a switch left 720 mute.' Unfortunately, AI has not been watching the X Games, World Cups, Snow League, or any other freeskiing events lately and botched this one too.

For starters, the halfpipe isn't symmetrical... at all. Second, the skier is completely missing the mute grab, which is maybe the only quantifiable part of this that AI could nail in a single image. Lastly, it's a good thing this skier isn't real because if he were, he'd be in for a hell of a crash coming back into the pipe at that angle. Godspeed, AI skier, we hope your recovery robots are better than the one that created you.

AI Prompt: "Henrik Harlaut sliding a rail at Kläppen Snowpark"

Admittedly, that was a lot of terminology to throw at AI, so let's keep it a tad more mainstream. If there's absolutely one thing AI can't replicate, it's a real human, but that doesn't mean it hasn't tried. What if we toss one of the most recognizable skiers of all time at AI, with a simple trick and a well known location?

I put in: 'Henrik Harlaut sliding a rail at Kläppen Snowpark', and am nearly ashamed to post the results.

Henrik, if you're out there reading this, I'm sorry for this AI abomination. I know your pants would never be this slim fitting, that you have more style than this, and that you don't look like every dude in Boulder, Colorado at a Tipper show in 2013. Also it sort of looks like there's an American Flag on those skis, which doesn't really make a lot of sense for a Swedish skier.

AI Prompt: "Skier carving a turn on a freshly groomed slope, on a bluebird day"

I decided to give AI one last shot with one of the easiest prompts I could think of. ‘Skier carving a turn on a freshly groomed slope, on a bluebird day.’

Of all potential ski prompts, there's probably more source imagery for this one than any other, and yet, no ski area would ever use this for a marketing image (we hope).

It might have gotten more right in this image than others, with the fresh corduroy and bluebird sky, but if there’s one reason alone AI will never replace ski photographers, it’s because AI can’t figure out good enough ski technique to fake a skier to save its life.

AI Video: "How New Yorkers Snowboard"

We aren’t, of course, the only skiing or skiing-curious people to see what happens when you start punching snowsports queries into large language models. The internet’s rife with digital skiers and snowboarders. Some of these images and videos are convincing; others are not. 

For instance, there’s this POV video of a snowboarder executing a “big mountain” line as they bounce from New York rooftops. Of all the AI tomfoolery out there, this one has a surprisingly realistic sheen. Try this. Squint, pretend you’re scrolling on your phone, and press play. It almost looks real, right? 

POV: How New Yorkers Snowboard

first-person AI video that drop you into hyperreal moment. pic.twitter.com/HzTygsrfGD

— Igor (@igkar1) December 9, 2025

Now, open your eyes. The illusion falls apart. Most importantly, last we checked, landing a 200 foot drop—to flat, no less—would turn the average human into ground beef. AI doesn’t seem to have the whole “human’s aren’t indestructible” thing figured out yet. 

AI Video: "Elegant AI Skiing"

Ready for something a little more bizarre? Great. You’re in the right place. Meet your new ski buddy below.

より早く????
Elegant AI skiing.#fashion #AIart #aivideo pic.twitter.com/RKL9BjLOUA

— aichof(アイチョフ) (@aichof21) October 28, 2025

AI actually got a lot right here. The woman doesn’t have any extra limbs, and the skis don’t magically transform into snowboards part way through the video. She also has decent ski form. Where things get weird—as they often do with AI—is perspective. 

The woman seems to start on a flat plane and suddenly gets a burst of speed, as if she’s using those electric skis. Also, if you happened to catch the background before she started skiing, you might’ve noticed what looked like an oil refinery. AI, it seems, has a different vision of what counts as ski-in ski-out lodging. 

AI Video: Skiing Cat Does a Double Front Flip

Here’s another sign that you might be watching an AI ski video: it involves a cat doing a double frontflip. Last we checked, felines aren’t World Cup contenders. 

Winter is almost here
m: @Hailuo_AI 02
p (eo): a tabby cat on just two hind legs downhill skiing does acrobatic flip pic.twitter.com/xV2qruUaYx

— R. B. Keeper (@rBKeeper) August 19, 2025

Aside from the irreconcilable problem of skiing cats, this reeks of AI. Where are the cat’s ski polls? Why is it holding something resembling a video game controller? What happened to the backs of its skis?

You could maybe fool an infant with the video, but that’s it. What is startling, though, is that, at least for simpler tasks, these videos are becoming increasingly convincing. All the more reason to put the phone down and, you know, actually go skiing. For now, AI can't accidentally leave its ski boots at home or get bonked on the head by a safety bar.

Conclusion: AI Sucks, Go Skiing

The next time you see a really beautiful ski photo on Instagram, in a magazine, in the POWDER Newsletter, or elsewhere, remember that there's a person behind that image who worked hard to shoot it. There's also their creative eye, lived experience, and all the skills and style they've cultivated to get that shot that no robot could ever replace.

AI sucks. Go skiing.