Newly released concept art from Spider-Man: Brand New Day seemingly revealed that AI was used to some degree during the movie's development. In recent years, generative AI has become more accessible to everyone, relying on massive amounts of data to find patterns and create "original" work. Concerns have grown about how such technology will be used in Hollywood and other industries, as it risks taking away jobs in an effort to slash costs.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day's artbook officially hit shelves just weeks after the MCU blockbuster's release and has quickly ignited backlash due to concerns that generative AI was used in one piece of concept art, "Big City, Little Spider," that was created by artist Scott McInnes.
The chief giveaway was strange warping and shapes visible on some of the buildings, and most prominently on some oddly shaped taxis, including two vehicles driving in different directions that appear to be warping into each other.
Upon further examination of the rest of Brand New Day's concept art, it appears that "Big City, Little Spider" was the only piece that showed obvious signs of AI-generated imagery.
The fire escape stairway on the building on the left-hand side similarly shows clear signs of warping, distortion, and strange shaping that are all telltale signs of glitches in AI as the system struggles to fill missing pixels.
McInnes, the artist behind this piece, has previously worked on the development of Sony's Spider-Man Universe as a concept artist for Morbius. He has collaborated with Marvel Studios before on The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Guardians of the Galaxy, although his other credits include Mercy, Bridgerton, Gladiator 2, Wonka, Andor, Barbie, and Masters of the Universe.
Implementing AI to any degree in a big-budget blockbuster that was bound to be highly profitable (as Brand New Day has already proven itself to be) was always going to be controversial. However, if it were limited to the concept stage, none of the AI-generated media was directly shown to fans, unless it was, perhaps accidentally, placed in an art book that costs collectors almost $50.
Marvel Studios has faced AI-related controversies since 2023, in the early days of the digital craze, when Secret Invasion premiered on Disney+ with an artificially generated intro that disgusted fans. Since then, AI has only become more popular and accessible, prompting concerns about how it will be used in Hollywood.
While most would, of course, rather AI weren't used in Hollywood at all, there's no doubt that the technology, as with any major advancement, will find its place in the filmmaking industry. After all, despite being creatively bankrupt and dangerous in the wrong hands, it has the potential to be a useful time-saving tool for artists.
Just months ago, Marvel Studios faced backlash over its massive layoffs in the visual development team, which includes concept artists, illustrators, and designers who help shape the movie's aesthetic before production. While AI was never stated to be a factor in the layoffs, fans leaped to that conclusion, and perhaps rightfully so now that it seems to be seeping into the MCU.
Many are concerned about how Avengers: Doomsday may implement AI after its directors, the Russo Brothers, declared it a "potentially valuable tool" that could have a place in "the filmmaking process" to The Hollywood Reporter:
"We have to approach AI the same way we approach all technological innovations. 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 Russo Brothers have generally shown an optimistically cautious outlook on AI, even posting machine-authored Avengers artwork on social media. However, there are currently no signs that AI has actually been used on Doomsday or Secret Wars, even if this Brand New Day concept art will leave some worried.
How The Superhero Genre Is Using and Responding to AI
Even Rob Bredow, the Chief Creative Officer of the George Lucas-founded VFX studio, Industrial Light & Magic, which is frequently used by Disney, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, and across Hollywood, had positive things to say about AI and its place in the industry during his TED Talk last summer.
Bredow speaks on AI as a potentially valuable asset that could take over the more tedious, repetitive tasks in filmmaking, allowing more time for creativity. However, he notes how it must be used "thoughtfully," only with "full access and the rights to the training data" as well as "permission of the talent."
There's no doubt that AI is here to stay, but it will require rigorous regulation to ensure it doesn't lead to job losses, a decline in creativity, or the abuse of artists' work for data training. The 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes resulted in safeguards for actors and writers, requiring studios to obtain permission to create digital replicas of talent and prohibiting the use of AI-generated scripts.
Just recently, DC Studios accidentally outed itself as using this tech the wrong way on Supergirl in a behind-the-scenes featurette, showcasing director Craig Gillespie's team using AI-generated concept art of Jason Momoa as Lobo. One has to wonder just how widespread synthetic media was on Supergirl and, by extension, across the Hollywood blockbuster game.
