Disney has been called out for promoting a new video featuring AI imagery of Mickey Mouse. Appearing in the thumbnail of a sponsored YouTube challenge, fans were shocked to see the brand endorsing this AI-ified content after years of Disney meticulously preserving its iconic character design trademarks.
It's an uncomfortable fact that AI is becoming increasingly normalised in our everyday lives, but to see a large-scale corporation like Disney let it slip through the cracks is naturally disappointing for some fans. While it may seem a small lapse in judgment, the controversy arises at a time of rising AI scepticism and hostility over the future of creativity – something that the brand once pioneered.
