Diddy’s Trial Recreated By AI Video Because of Courtroom Camera Ban

With cameras banned in the courtroom, TV station Law&Crime is providing coverage of the Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial by recreating proceedings with generative AI.

The trial of American music mogul Combs, who is accused of running a sprawling sex trafficking operation, began at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan courthouse in Manhattan, New York City, last week.

Cameras, phones, and other electronic devices are generally prohibited in U.S. federal courtrooms, and Combs’ trial will not be televised or streamed online. Instead, courtroom sketches have so far been the only way to convey moments from the proceedings during the rapper’s trial, helping the public visualize the drama.

As there is no real footage from within the courtroom, Law&Crime, the legal and true crime media TV network, has found a new way to bring the drama of Combs’ federal trial to the public. The network is releasing AI-generated videos recreations of the high-profile trial, which is expected to last eight weeks, based entirely on official court transcripts. In a press release, the TV network says it is using “AI-generated segments” to “depict the exact words spoken by key witnesses, investigators, and legal figures, ensuring viewers get a factual, real-time understanding of what’s unfolding in the courtroom.”

“Since the public can’t see or hear what’s happening in federal court firsthand, we’re using cutting-edge AI tools to bring these important proceedings to life, based entirely on official transcripts,” Law&Crime President Rachel Stockman says. “This is a pivotal moment in both popular culture and justice, and our goal is to provide accurate, transparent access to what’s actually being said in that courtroom.”

‘This is Surreal’

The recreated testimony and trial highlights will be available on Law&Crime’s YouTube channel, with new segments published as court proceedings unfold. So far, there have been two AI-generated videos that show the rapper during opening statements — both of which have amassed hundreds of thousands of views.

While some YouTube users have expressed their concern over the use of the AI technology in courtroom reporting, other viewers say they have been blown away by the realism of Law&Crime’s videos of Combs’ trial.

A YouTuber user writes: “This is surreal. 30 years ago, no one would believe this would be real.”

“This is so cool! I would love to watch these since we can’t see the actual court footage,” another viewer comments.

However, according to a report by the British network ITV news, the AI videos of Diddy’s trial are raising serious concerns in the legal world.

“It’s the problem of showing the jurors. Jurors are protected from having their images displayed on television and in the media,” criminal lawyer Peter Odom tells ITV News. “And in this video, it purported at least to show jurors, full faces.

“Now, I imagine that those are probably made-up faces made up by AI, but they resemble real people. What if there are real people out there who look like the people that are portrayed? That could be a huge problem.”

Combs was arrested last September and faces charges including racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted.