The use of generic AI in creative fields has turned into a flame war – a nightmare of meaningless and derivative AI slop from which we are unable to wake up. The internet is being suffocated by inconsistent AI-generated DRIflat As tech leaders keep reassuring us, this is the future we always wanted.
Even Hollywood has not been safe from this attack, despite some of the biggest names in the industry publicly promoting the use of the technology.
Now, renowned director Darren Aronofsky — the creator of films like “Requiem for a Dream,” “Black Swan” and “The Fountain” — has signed a partnership between his AI studio Primordial Soup and Salesforce, Time Studio and Google’s DeepMind for “On This Day… 1776,” an almost entirely AI-generated drama series about the American Revolution.
First Two The three-minute episodes are already available to watch on YouTube, but we can’t in good conscience recommend anyone seek them out.
even a initial teaser trailer It suffers from all the usual shortcomings of technology, from strange facial features to vague, unclear text.
Users were stunned by the tasteless result, accusing Aronofsky of relying on the technology as a gimmick and refusing to pay real actors – while exploiting existing art through AI.
On this day… 1776 | Official Trailer
The production appears to have had little regard for historical accuracy, with historian Mateusz Fafinski noting the AI messed up the front page of the important 47-page pamphlet “Common Sense”, which was distributed by Thomas Paine to advocate for American independence before the Revolutionary War.
“Glad to see that there is no need to worry about the historical accuracy of the new 1776 AI sloop as it takes place in the mysterious land of Λameredd,” Fafinski wrote. Post on BlueskyThere is a mention of the mutilated letters seen in the teaser of the series.
Fafinski too told Despite being fresh from the press, the pamphlets have already somehow been “tainted and counterfeited immediately after printing to appear genuine and ‘old’.”
These are not the only signs of an uncanny valley. Facial features appear extremely sharp. Due to the lack of dental hygiene at that time, the teeth have become a little too white.
What appears to be an AI render of Benjamin Franklin looks like it was taken out of a low-budget video game, resembling Gollum from “The Lord of the Rings” more than the Founding Father, as pc gamer tells.
Another user noticed that the siding on one of the buildings looks somewhat modern compared to the 1700s.
“Love that early American Colonial vinyl siding,” they wrote.
AI’s ability to measure perspective also leaves a lot to be desired. In a brief moment a group of people are seen gathered on a distant hilltop. But compared to the height of nearby buildingsIndividuals appear to have been over 12 feet tall.
In short, attention to detail is clearly lacking – a sign that AI may not be up to the task yet, even for a beloved filmmaker like Aronofsky. Other netizens were similarly stunned by the poor performance, comparing it to the “Coca Cola Christmas ad”, a reference to a familiar AI slop slip-up that blew up in the mega corporation’s face last year.
One user said, “A director should totally lose his career for this.” Tweeted. “His Wikipedia should say former filmmaker from now on, no matter what else he does.”
Another user said, “I hope Google’s money was worth the reputational damage.” made fun of.
Aronofsky did not ignore human actors entirely, signing Screen Actors Guild-represented voice actors for Slop Fest. It was also edited, mixed, and color-graded, possibly by a human “post-production team”, according to one Press release. American film composer Jordan Dykstra has also signed a contract to score the series’ music.
The people behind the project are adamant that lazy reliance on generic AI is the future of Hollywood.
“This project is a glimpse of what thoughtful, creative, artist-led use of AI could look like — not replacing craft, but expanding what’s possible and allowing storytellers to go places they couldn’t go before,” Time Studios president Ben Bitonti said in a statement.
But given the breadth of criticism the teaser trailer has already received, “On This Day… 1776” probably won’t be one for the history books. This is another shameful example of once-respected filmmakers cutting too many corners to make money.
One thing’s for sure: the haters are having a good day.
“As a lifelong Aronofsky skeptic, I feel completely innocent right now,” took a pinch Playwright Ashley Naftule.
One YouTube user said, “What a terrible time to have eyes.” expressed regret at.
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