New Rule: NO MORE FAKE ALIENS

Summary

UFO content creator Chris Ramsay announces that his AREA52 channel will no longer use AI-generated images or video. He says the change is about creativity, world-building and honesty, arguing that AI fakes further muddy an already hoax-ridden field of UFO imagery. He closes by revealing his most prized possession: a collection of original UFO photographs from the archive of famed contactee researcher Wendelle Stevens.

Key takeaways

• 1Ramsay will replace AI imagery with paid human illustrators, props, costumes, actors, digitized archival reels, microfiche and scans from vintage UFO magazines.
• 2He notes that 1960s-70s UFO magazines held annual photo contests with prizes, which he believes encouraged hoaxes and filled the field with fakes.
• 3He acquired original UFO photos from Wendelle Stevens' archive at auction.
• 4The collection includes a 1942 photo said to have been bought from a Japanese general in China, showing a man pointing at a UFO.
• 5It also includes the original 'Amory Rivera' photos, which appear to show an F-14 chasing a flying disc, plus a 1965 Albuquerque, New Mexico disc photo.
• 6Other photos come from Honolulu, Hawaii; Colfax, Wisconsin (Mark Coltrane); Santa Fe, Argentina; and the William J. 'Bill' Herrmann case.

Glossary terms

Source

Transcript excerpt

This alien is not AI. And in fact, moving forward, I will no longer be using AI generative imaging on this channel. Goodbye slop. Hello props. So, while I tell you what's changing in the videos, which analog tools we'll be using to help tell these stories, and most importantly, why, uh, which isn't what you think. I'll be taking you through my studio and showing you things only podcast guests have ever seen. And stay tuned to the end of the video where I will share my most prized and valuable piece of UFO ephemera. So, before I talk to you about why, let me tell you about what's changing on the channel, and it's very simple. No more generative AI imaging, meaning we're not going to be using any photos or videos made by AI. That being said, I don't necessarily have a problem with AI. I use it for research. The software that I'm using to edit this video probably uses AI as well. So, to be clear, no more AI-generated imaging. And to tell you why, I'm going to take you back to where it all started, the old stomping grounds. Follow me. So, to be completely transparent, this is not a moral stance, it's not a political stance, and it's also not an environmental stance. Uh, this has everything to do with my own creativity. I've noticed that since I've begun using AI imagery, I've shot a lot less. I've done a lot less videos like I used to do. ...

Excerpt from AREA52 Podcast (Chris Ramsay), Oct 2, 2026. Rights remain with the original creators. Hear the full episode at the source.