The official art book for the recently released film Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which has surpassed $2 billion at the worldwide box office, includes what appears to be AI-generated artwork. The discovery was made by The Artbook Collector and shared on X, highlighting a piece within "Spider-Man: Brand New Day – The Art of the Movie" that exhibits hallmarks of artificial intelligence generation, such as distorted imagery and nonsensical elements like a splotchy, half-formed taxi.
This inclusion comes four months after Disney laid off over 1,000 employees at Marvel Studios, with a significant impact on its visual effects and concept art departments. The presence of AI-generated art in the official book has led to speculation that the layoffs may have been partially driven by a desire to cut costs by utilizing AI for creative assets instead of human artists.
The book, published by Marvel, was released on August 18. Critics have pointed to the evident artificiality of the images as a concerning trend, particularly given the substantial budget of the film, estimated at $225 million, and the cost of the art book itself. The situation raises questions about the studio's creative process and its treatment of artists in the wake of workforce reductions.