Everything is Derivative
Generative AI is on the rise and gaining traction. You see it in predictive text, in Discord forums, and in Disney’s Thanksgiving post. This particular post stirred controversy as users questioned Disney’s choice to employ AI rather than their in-house creative team. The image’s telltale signs of AI involvement—floating heads, unrealistic water droplets, and peculiar food items—were apparent. Notably unsettling was the AI’s decision to merge cartoon designs with real-life costume representations of characters.
This incident raises pertinent questions about the roots of such generative content. The image, essentially an updated rendition, aligns with Disney’s historical parodies of Norman Rockwell’s ‘Freedom from Want’ (1943). Disney’s continuous reinterpretation of Rockwell’s work was derivative long before AI integration. Hence, the present scrutiny seems misplaced.
While art inherently draws from existing concepts, AI takes this to an extreme. Generative imaging heavily relies on internet references, where AI struggles to distinguish fact from fiction, evident in erroneous depictions like misshapen fingers. As AI integration grows, the influx of inaccurate imagery might pose challenges, particularly if dependence on these tools becomes absolute.
It is important that brands that want to stand out and pull ahead during this AI revolution look to agencies that emphasize originality and know how to properly implement these tools. Artificial intelligence is inevitable but the key to harnessing its potential is to use it as a tool to execute your team’s original ideas. Consumers want originality, recognition, and design. Brand power lies in creative solutions only humans can develop.
Generative AI is limited by its programming. It can only pull from what exists. Your company needs to partner with an agency that creates what doesn’t exist.
*Derivative image created by Midjourney, because even algorithms appreciate a good composition.
