Secret Invasion AI intro for Marvel’s upcoming Disney+ series has drawn criticism from both artists and fans.
The series follows Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury, the creator of the Avengers, and his friends as they work to stop an alien invasion of shape-shifters (Skrulls) on Earth.
On Wednesday (21 June), the day of the show’s premiere, executive producer Ali Selim revealed to Polygon that the opening sequence of Secret Invasion was produced utilizing artificial intelligence.
The choice, he said, contributed to the themes of the program: “When we reached out to the AI suppliers, it was part of it – it just came straight out of the shape-shifting, Skrull world identity, you know? Who was responsible for this? What is this?”
Secret Invasion uses Ai in the intro. Leadership of the show “doesn’t know how Ai works.” Vendor is Method studios. Who would not respond for comment.
This is salt in the wounds of all Artists and Writers in the WGA strike #boycottSecretInvasion https://t.co/fmAiARYsLB pic.twitter.com/Lv9uvzSygb
— Jon Lam #CreateDontScrape (@JonLamArt) June 21, 2023
Secret Invasion AI intro: Unredeemable disgrace
After a promising initial sequence that takes us into this world, especially one constructed by crafters, Secret Invasion’s opening titles are like slipping into the uncanny valley. The first image is off. It’s reminiscent of the opening credits for Silo and Raised by Wolves, except AI doesn’t produce like humans. Instead, it turns what has been constructed into a Frankenstein creature without vitality.
It may be hard to detect at first since it resembles the aforementioned animations, to the point that you could believe it was done by the same artist (which would be unethical), but any illusions of this soon dissipate. The film’s sloppiness is evident from the minute Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury appears onscreen. If it weren’t so nasty, using web rubbish for this series would be humorous.
Secret Invasion intro is AI generated. I’m devastated, I believe AI to be unethical, dangerous and designed solely to eliminate artists careers. Spent almost half a year working on this show and had a fantastic experience working with the most amazing people I ever met…
— Jeff Simpson (@jeffsimpsonkh) June 21, 2023
One of the show’s writers has reportedly defended it as thematically connected with the series’ premise, with characters changing shape and altering, although the credits do a terrible job of expressing this. It’s not just that the characters are shapeless, which may be intriguing, but that you can tell it’s fake and unfinished. Another possibility is that Marvel’s visual effects crew was hurried to finish the credits. Why was it not instantly rejected after learning it was made by AI?
AI supporters argue that it is a “tool” for artists. This titles sequence makes said tool appear like one you’d throw away. Even the final image of two hands clasping, one human and one Skrull, lacks depth. It resembles a superior piece of art. We next witness a colorful Skrull-Jackson hybrid. This technology has developed errors. Some say AI is the future of creation, but if it’s like this, let them have it and let us maintain the art done with actual care for the craft.
Secret Invasion AI intro: AI “Art” decreases the number of working artists
AI-created things on this scale are sinister. Secret Invasion was the first to employ the technology prominently instead of hiring abstract artists. Instead of an artist’s vision, a hollow jumble of elements feels borrowed. Even if human-made works might be criticized, they will always be better than AI-made ones. Pushing them out is bad and hurts art. New technology might be intriguing, but this one is artificial.
Said it before but I’ll say it again – we really went from Spiderverse celebrating the arts and artists to Secret Invasion spitting on us. pic.twitter.com/JXncZtokCe
— Kunal (@Get2DaChopra) June 21, 2023
Its hardness makes it unimaginative and jarring. Opening credits are important, especially when they’re meant to hook us. The reverse happened. This choice starts Secret Invasion off on the wrong foot and suggests a sad new plot path where AI replaces artists and craft is lost. It’s a boring creative choice that might create a precedent as awful as the product.
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Featured image credit: Marvel.
