The Big Picture
-
Civil War’
s marketing campaign sparks debate on AI-generated imagery in creative works. - A24’s Instagram ads feature fake destruction scenes not in the film, created by AI.
-
Civil War
is in theaters now.
The marketing campaign for A24’s Civil War may have just reignited the uncivil war over the use of artificial intelligence-generated imagery in creative endeavors. A recent Instagram ad campaign for the film, which was #1 at the box office over the weekend, features a number of American landmarks destroyed by the movie’s fictional internecine war. They include a shattered Las Vegas Sphere, wreckage in Miami, and refugee boats on the Chicago River next to the distinctive Marina Towers.
Viewers of the film will realize that these scenes of Michael Bay-esque destruction are not depicted anywhere in Alex Garland‘s film. Furthermore, as the Hollywood Reporter reports, upon closer inspection, the images are clearly AI-generated, thanks to some glaring errors – the Marina Towers are on the wrong side of the river, a wrecked car in Miami has three doors, and a scene of armed soldiers aiming their guns at what should be a swan-shaped paddleboat features an enormous swan, instead. A source stated to the Hollywood Reporter that “These are AI images inspired by the movie. To clarify, they aren’t movie posters, just images for Instagram. The entire movie is a big WHAT IF and so we wanted to continue that thought on social — powerful imagery of iconic landmarks with that dystopian realism.”
What Other Controversies Have Erupted Over AI?
The use of generative AI to create images and text has been a contentious issue in the creative community. The use of AI was a major sticking point in last year’s WAG and SAG-AFTRA strikes, and both strikes were ended with language in the unions’ new contracts to limit the studios’ usage of the technology. However, that has not prevented a hue and cry from arising when AI is visibly used in creative works. Marvel’s Secret Invasion series featured an AI-generated title sequence, to the disappointment of many viewers. Recently, the horror film Late Night With the Devil attracted criticism for its use of AI-generated title cards for its fictional ’70s late-night talk show.
The AI controversy is strangely apropos for a Garland film. His directorial debut was, after all, Ex Machina, a sci-fi suspense thriller that hinged on a machine’s ability to successfully pass for human.
Civil War is now playing in theaters. Check out the posters below:
Civil War
The film follows events in the U.S. during a civil war. Government forces attack civilians. Journalists are shot in the Capitol.
- Release Date
- April 12, 2024
- Director
- Alex Garland
- Main Genre
- Drama
- Writers
- Alex Garland
