Secret Invasion, the latest entry to the Marvel Cinematic Universe premiered on Wednesday, June 21.
Starring Samuel L Jackson, Olivia Colman, and Emilia Clarke, the TV mini-series is centred around shapeshifting aliens called Skrulls invading Earth.
The Skrulls’ morphing abilities are illustrated in the series’ title sequence, but it has been revealed that the art was not made by real artists - Secret Invasion’s credits backdrops are made by AI.
Executive producer Ali Selim has defended the decision, and told Polygon: “When we reached out to the AI vendors, that was part of it.
“It just came right out of the shapeshifting, Skrull world identity, you know? Who did this? Who is this?”
On social media, Marvel fans are not best pleased. Some viewers voiced their concern over the use of AI, amid fears it could have a huge impact on jobs across the creative industries.
Director Stephen Ford, described the use of AI as a “slap in the face to literally every artist Disney has ever worked with”.
Marvel/Disney have infinite money yet used AI for the Secret Invasion opening credits.
— Stephen Ford (@StephenSeanFord) June 21, 2023
A slap in the face to literally every artist Disney has ever worked with & something that overshadows the hard work everyone did on this show.
Seriously @aliselim?pic.twitter.com/xEsT6MWt1x
One tweeter referenced the writer, actor and director strikes: “The Secret Invasion AI credits is such an insane miscalculation by Marvel in that it A) immediately created noxious buzz around the premiere of their new program, and B) only further validates AI concerns RIGHT as actors and directors are on the verge of striking because of it.”
“No way in hell Marvel used AI to create the secret invasion intro, this is the worst intro for any TV show ever,” another tweeter said.
Musicians have also recently expressed fears over a spate of AI-generated tracks flooding social media platforms such as TikTok, including songs featuring cloned voices of The Weeknd and Drake.
Others have been less critical of the idea of AI being used in the creative industries. Tom Hanks said earlier this year that he believes he could live forever in the movies after death with the help of artificial intelligence.
He added that “without a doubt” fans will be able to tell it’s not really him on screen, but also says “the question is will they care?”
