Netflix removed a poster advertising the second season of its animated steampunk action-adventure series Arcane after viewer outcry over its being made by artificial intelligence. Netflix acted swiftly to remove the poster from its network, but the streaming giant was not spared the ire of the series’ fans. The poster displays the hand of one of the show’s main characters with incorrect anatomy, which indicates it’s AI-generated.
“We have a strict stance of no AI for anything relating to Arcane cause it’s disrespectful to the incredible artists who worked on the show,” Arcane’s brand lead Alex Shahmiri posted on X. “This image was a mistake and has since been removed.”
Gaming publication Gamesradar called the incident “especially disappointing.”
Arcane is based on Riot Games’ popular video game League of Legends. Its popularity created a large fanbase among gamers and animation enthusiasts. The show’s compelling storyline and visual artistry are a testament to the irreplaceable role of human artists in the creative industry. It’s a joint project of Riot Games and French animation studio Fortiche for Netflix, which released the second and final season in November. The studio worked hard to combine digital and hand-drawn artwork, which makes the show’s visual artistry stand out.
Netflix has been open to using AI algorithms in its database. Still, this move to employ a computer program to create artwork promoting a show made by artists and animators sparked an uproar that resonates with the public sentiment on the possibility of AI replacing people on tasks that require human creativity.
“I can only speak to what I work on,” Shahmiri said. “From a purely personal level, I’m not a fan of AI because what makes art so special is the human connection and feeling. Be it through art, music, or any creative medium—it’s something I never want to see replaced by AI.”
Debates have been raging about the role of generative AI in music and arts. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently called AI-made music “soulless,” and Coca-Cola faced public backlash for the “distasteful” use of AI on its latest holiday ad rather than human artists and creative professionals.