Under Armour's AI-Powered Commercial Draws Creative Backlash on Instagram

Under Armour's "first AI-powered commercial" is reportedly garnering criticisms from various creatives on Instagram after the commercial is claimed to be a blatant remix of past uncredited works.

The advertisement reportedly features boxer Anthony Joshua as per the director Wes Walker. He claimed that Under Armour asked them to create a video using just pre-existing elements, a 3D model of Anthony Joshua, and no access to athletes when he shared the ad and its versions on Instagram earlier this week.

It is said to be the most recent instance of Under Armour utilizing AI to speed up production. To generate new materials, the shoemaker has been collaborating with production companies to compile a dataset that embodies UA's "visual DNA."

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This illustration photograph taken with a macro lens shows an 'OpenAI' logo reverse projected onto a human eye at a studio in Paris on June 6, 2023. ChatGPT is a conversational artificial intelligence software application developed by OpenAI.

According to the post, breakthroughs in AI voiceover were combined with motion graphics, 35mm film, digital video, 3D CGI, AI photo, and motion graphics to create the AI-powered advertisement. Walker goes on to say that every AI tool available today was thoroughly used. Walker mentioned that the commercial relies heavily on artificial intelligence (AI) and stated that the entire thing was completed in three weeks, a very short time for a well-known company and athlete.

However, creatives on Instagram were not slow to pick up on the fact that the commercial was essentially a repackaged copy of someone else's work. Director Gustav Johansson of the Scandinavian production studio Newland says the "AI-powered" advertisement from Under Armour is a remix of a complete, uncredited film production that was directed by Johansson and featured some footage that was shot by André Chementoff.

Walker's advertisement also features a video from Iconoclast Germany's Maik Schuster, a second filmmaker, from 2023. Johansson and Schuster were not listed among the initial credit holders for the spot.

AI Use Out of Necessity

According to AdAge, Under Armour's vice president of global brand creative, Brian Boring said that the company's strategy for the Walker commercial was driven by necessity because the athlete was unable to film. He described the Walker advertisement as a "mixed media piece," including live-action, CGI, and some AI. He also stated that the idea that UA is using athlete video to train AI is inaccurate.

Walker on his post, however, promoted the human touch in commercial creation even as he bragged about using AI. He asserts that although AI will integrate into workflows in ever-changing ways, the heart and the intellect that peep behind perception's doors are still and always will be "ours."

AI Exploitation of Creatives

The advertisement has been marketed by the firm as a marvel of AI ingenuity. On the other hand, some claim the business is accelerating the date on which artificial intelligence will supplant humans in the manufacturing process.

According to Tech Crunch, industry creatives are emerging from the woodwork to protest what they see as another step toward AI replacing human labor with the tactic of firms using it to exploit their talents.