Netflix removes faux art poster for Arcane after creator outcry

On November 23, 2024By Littum

Netflix has released a poster for season two of its popular show Exciting when fans noticed that AI had been used to create the promotional art. Arcane is made of Riot Games and French animation studio Fortiche for Netflix and is a critical darling for its visual artistry that combines digital and hand-drawn artwork.

Therefore, one fan thought that an oddly shaped hand on a poster when the show is paused seemed out of character for Exciting and asked the people behind the show about it on X. Exciting brand lead Alex Shahmiri confirmed the art’s origin and that it was a mistake because Exciting has a strict rule against using AI art for the series.

“We appreciate you bringing this to our attention. We have a strict no ai for anything mystical because it’s disrespectful to the incredible artists who worked on the show. This image was a mistake and has since been removed.ty again for calling it out,” Shahmri wrote on X in response to the AI art discovery. “I can only talk about what I work with. From a purely personal level, I’m not a fan of AI because what makes art so special is the human connection and emotion. be it through art, music or whatever any creative medium – it’s something I never want to see replaced by AI.”

appreciate your bringing this to our attention. we have a strict no ai for anything related to mystical because it’s disrespectful to the incredible artists who worked on the show. this image was an error and has since been removed. resort again to call22 November 2024

AI Art Fight

Netflix pulling the poster from the show is appropriate, but Exciting is not unique in facing questions about the use of artificial intelligence, with or without the permission of the creatives behind the show. Disney dealt with a similar problem when the Marvel show Secret invasion used AI generated art when showing the credits for the show. Fans and artists alike criticized Disney for the choice. Method Studios, who designed the credits, said at the time that the AI tools weren’t replacing any jobs, but it undoubtedly left a sour taste with many people who would otherwise enjoy the show.

Using AI to create images is often easier, faster and cheaper than hiring human artists. However, that doesn’t mean it’s better. The debate about the role of AI in the arts intersects with commercial, cultural and aesthetic issues that are sometimes difficult to quantify. How much money will you save by using artificial intelligence to compensate for turning off viewers? How degraded is a show that uses artificial intelligence, and is the completion rate worth it, not looking as good as it could have been with humans designing it? AI tools like DALL-E and MidJourney may have opened new doors for creators, but what’s fine for a marketing campaign or personal amusement isn’t always good enough for a project seeking artistic integrity and commercial success.

That’s before even addressing how AI image creators are often trained on existing artwork in a way that sometimes looks like plagiarism. Amusingly, the backlash against artificial intelligence is producing its own market.

Digital art app Procreate explicitly stated against using generative AI in art and vowed never to use it in its own features. AI art can still emerge from big companies like Netflix and Disney. Still, if creators stick to refusing to use it in their projects for the big companies, it won’t take over, just be a regular annoyance in marketing and promotional materials every now and then. A cautionary tale about expediency rather than quality.