Secret Invasion's AI credits studio claims no artists' jobs were cut

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The visual effects firm that created the opening credits for Secret Invasion claims that no artists lost their employment as a result of using AI to generate them. In a statement provided to The Hollywood Reporter, Method Studios argued that the Disney+ show’s credits sequence, which features animated artwork created using AI, didn’t eliminate any jobs for real-world creatives. The statement states, “AI is merely one tool among the variety of toolsets our artists employed. By using these new technologies, “no artists’ jobs were replaced; instead, they complemented and helped our creative teams.” The statement from Method Studios also made it clear that a variety of painters, animators, and compositors contributed to Secret Invasion’s credits, in addition to AI technology.

Marvel Cinematic Universe fans immediately took to the internet to express their outrage at Secret Invasion’s AI-generated credits when it made its Disney+ debut on June 21, 2023. The ethical ramifications of AI and the unflattering publicity that would result from employing the technology while the Writers Guild of America strike (which is partially driven by AI-related concerns) was in progress emerged as frequent themes in these complaints. Other complaints about the credits for Secret Invasion focused on the AI artwork’s perceived poor quality, which some MCU fans contrasted negatively with the human-made titles visuals seen in films like She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Hawkeye.

In a recent interview, Secret Invasion’s director Ali Selim justified the usage of AI, saying that the distorted graphics in the credit sequence represented the plot and ideas of the Disney+ miniseries. “That was part of it when we reached out to the AI suppliers, you know; it just came straight out of the shape-shifting, Skrull world identity. That person, who? He said, “Who is this? Jeff Simpson, a senior concept artist, tweeted lately that he was “devastated” to see Marvel Studios backing technology “designed solely to eliminate artists’ careers.”

Executives at Marvel Studios will undoubtedly be shocked by the criticism surrounding Secret Invasion’s credits, not least of all since they preferred other distinctive parts of the programme to take the focus. It’s noteworthy that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige previously praised the miniseries’ “darker, grittier” tone, calling it the most innovative of the MCU’s Disney+ productions to date. The goal of Secret Invasion, according to producer Kevin Feige, “was to really delve into the tone of a spy show—something we touched on in Captain America: The Winter Soldier but hadn’t in a while.”