Darren Aronofsky's AI Series Sparks Reactions
Famous director Darren Aronofsky's series 'On This Day... 1776,' which was produced almost entirely with artificial intelligence, has become the target of criticism for historical inaccuracies and technical flaws with the release of its first trailer.
Controversial Project in AI and Creative Industries
The use of generative artificial intelligence in creative fields is sparking heated debates in the art world. At the center of these debates is a recent project bearing the signature of renowned director Darren Aronofsky. Aronofsky, known for films like 'Black Swan' and 'Requiem for a Dream,' has partnered his AI studio Primordial Soup with Salesforce, TIME Studios, and Google's DeepMind. The partnership aims to produce a dramatic series titled 'On This Day... 1776,' focusing on the American Revolution and generated almost entirely by AI.
Errors in Trailer Draw Criticism
The first two three-minute episodes of the series were released on YouTube. However, even the initial promotional trailer showcased many of the technology's known shortcomings. Viewers pointed out a series of technical issues, ranging from uncanny facial expressions to illegible and garbled text. Serious concerns were also raised about historical accuracy.
Historian Mateusz Fafinski identified that in the series' trailer, the cover of the important pamphlet 'Common Sense,' distributed by Thomas Paine before the American Revolutionary War, was incorrectly generated by AI. In a post on Bluesky, Fafinski noted that the letters on the pamphlet were jumbled and resembled a mystical country named 'Λamereedd.' Additionally, it was criticized that newly printed pamphlets were immediately shown as 'stained and aged' in an attempt to apply an artificial aging effect.
Technical Flaws and Audience Reaction
The trailer also highlights AI's weaknesses in perspective perception. There are moments where a crowd gathered on a distant hill appears gigantic compared to the height of a nearby building. Users also shared that the exterior of one building looked too modern for the 1700s.
Viewers and social media users described the project as a 'tasteless result' and 'a trick to avoid paying real actors.' Some users suggested it damaged the director's reputation, while another likened the project to last year's AI blunder involving Coca-Cola. The project also faced criticism for exploiting existing artworks by reprocessing them with AI.
Project Team's Defense and Future
The team behind the project insists that this reliance on AI is the future of Hollywood. TIME Studios President Ben Bitonti stated in a declaration, 'This project offers a glimpse of what thoughtful, creative, artist-led AI use can look like; not to replace craft, but to expand what's possible and allow storytellers to go places they couldn't before.'
Human contribution is not entirely excluded from the project. The series' voice acting was performed by actors represented by the Screen Actors Guild. Furthermore, editing, mixing, and color grading were carried out by a 'post-production team.' Composer Jordan Dykstra also created the series' music.
However, considering the flood of criticism caused by the promotional trailer, it is predicted that 'On This Day... 1776' will not be a project for the history books. This situation seems likely to further inflame debates about the integration of AI tools into creative processes. The limits of AI in art and historical narrative are being questioned anew through such experiments.
