Under Armour’s latest ad has caused outrage among creatives because it was produced by AI. The ad uses the likeness of famous heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua and elements previously shot for Under Armour, along with AI, to create a brand new video.
As AI technology continues to improve, it is likely that many jobs in the creative sector will be replaced. This was hard to imagine just a few years ago, but now it seems very likely. Technology has improved to the point where companies like Under Armor can take clips they have access to and use them to create entirely new content for promotional purposes.
This makes entire departments obsolete because a small number of AI prompts can create in minutes what would have taken an entire team months to create. From a business perspective, this is an incredible opportunity as it will definitely save money and time. However, this is not good news for the creative world.
Video above includes clips shot by two production companies new land.tvDirected by Gustav Johansson and DP Andre Chemetoff, and Iconoclast Germany, directed by Maik Schuster and DP Joao de Botelho. In protest, many people in the comments section pasted this credit into the comments section of the YouTube channel.
Additionally, many people in the comments section expressed their displeasure with the video, and the video itself is estimated to have an 80% dislike rating.
It’s unfortunate and it seems very likely that many high-end commercial creative roles will be reduced or even replaced entirely. For example, actor and filmmaker Tyler Perry gave Studio expansion 800 million USD paused due to the impact of AI.
What we’re seeing now is that the people who actually have the money to fund these ventures are increasingly leaning towards AI. Generally, industries follow money.
The only concern that companies may have is regarding copyright. Currently, AI content cannot be owned in the same way as user-generated content. The reality is that anyone can use AI-generated content and this can pose a danger to the brand and its reputation.
Ultimately, it’s hard to say exactly where things will end up because of how quickly AI is developing. As of now, industries have considered AI as a viable alternative.
