This article first appeared in Digital Edge, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on January 9, 2023 - January 15, 2023

Do you believe in the supernatural? If your answer is no, the AI Manga filter on TikTok may just be the thing to convert the sceptic in you.

The filter first became a hit when TikTokers used it to turn themselves into manga-style characters dressed in nifty outfits and with highly expressive features, exaggerating emotions comically with unrealistically sharp jawlines, little noses and big doe eyes in 10-second videos. Many local politicians and celebrities gushed over how good they looked with the filter on.

It was all fun and games until some users accidentally caught “additional” faces in their videos. This happened when they used the filter to take selfies at certain corners of their homes and found “ghosts” lurking in the background instead.

The trend went viral when users started posting stories of deceased family members or pets projected in their homes through the filter, accompanied by eerie Japanese horror tunes in the background. Why do they believe that the spectral apparitions were family members? Because of the hair colour or skin tone of the figures.

But in reality, the filter picks up on anything seemingly resembling a person — like a piece of furniture or a door — and the app’s artificial intelligence then generates an animation of a person. While some believe there are ghosts in their houses, for many it is just a fun filter for content creation. Paranormal investigators have been using expensive thermal cameras and equipment to catch a glimpse of these spirits for years but usually to no avail.

Regardless, users are having a blast spooking themselves and their viewers by seeking out “spirits”.

If you want to give it a go, look for AI Manga on TikTok. Good luck hunting ghouls!

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