Brand New Day’ Used AI

The jaw-dropping reports of Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s record-breaking box office numbers have been impossible to ignore. The film cleared $2 billion worldwide, becoming one of the highest-grossing films in film history, but this news has taken on a decidedly different tone now that one of the film’s official releases has seemingly revealed the use of AI during the movie’s development.

Thankfully, there currently doesn’t seem to be any indication that generative AI was used in the making of the film itself. However, as reported by The Direct, at least one piece of concept art included in the recently released Spider-Man: Brand New Day art book appears to contain telltale signs of AI generation. The image, titled “Big City, Little Spider,” credited to artist Scott McInnes, features some particularly egregious examples of AI art, including warped taxi cabs that merge into one another, and distorted fire escapes. These kinds of inconsistencies are some of the most recognizable indicators of AI struggling to understand objects and spaces it’s attempting to recreate.

It’s also worth noting that just because this is the only image to have been flagged as AI generated doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the only one in the book. Without clarification from Marvel or McInnes himself, it’s impossible to know how widespread its usage may have been, and as the old adage goes, “the first time you’re caught is rarely the first time you did it.”

The issue isn’t necessarily the existence of this technology, but how studios choose to use it. The Russo brothers have previously acknowledged the inevitability of AI, saying:

“It’s potentially a valuable tool, but it’s the kind of tool that artists always have to remain in control of, but there’s going to be some valuable role in the creative process and the filmmaking process.”

The problems arise when artists aren’t upfront about using AI, and the optics of this are particularly terrible for Marvel, especially following recent news of extensive lay-offs in the visual-development departments — concept artists, illustrators, designers — precisely the areas where AI has apparently been deployed here. Marvel never confirmed whether AI was a factor in these layoffs, but there was plenty of speculation from fans, and seeing apparent AI-generated artwork pop up in official merchandise is hardly likely to reassure anyone concerned about the future of these roles.

This isn’t the first Marvel project to face criticism for using AI either. Secret Invasion infamously opened with an AI-generated title sequence in 2023, prompting intense backlash from fans and artists alike. Since then, concerns over the use of artificial intelligence have only grown, particularly as Hollywood continues looking for ways to reduce costs. More recently, DC faced criticism after behind-the-scenes footage from Supergirl appeared to show AI-generated concept art for Jason Momoa’s Lobo.

It’s bad enough when independent films like Late Night With The Devil or A24’s Civil War are called out for using AI, but when an endlessly profitable corporation with the resources to employ artists is cutting corners like this, it’s particularly inexcusable.

For now, there is no evidence that AI was used to create the finished Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but this news has certainly taken the sheen off the celebratory reports of the film’s box-office success, and left a bitter taste in the mouth. If Marvel wants to avoid another Secret Invasion-style controversy, it might be worth explaining just how this artwork came to be in a book which ostensibly celebrates the film’s creative process.