By now you've probably seen the viral Pixar AI pet posters that have been taking the internet by storm, using Microsoft's Bing Image Creator to make faux movie posters starring our furry friends. The trend has become so popular that it's recently caught the eye of Disney, for all the wrong reasons.
The problem is that Bing's AI-generated images are a little too good, causing the House of Mouse to raise copyright concerns – but Microsoft has found a way to keep the trend alive. (If you love Pixar's iconic art style, check out our collection of the best character design books for more inspiration).
The AI pet poster trend began on Instagram and TikTok as a fun new way to show off your fur babies. If I'm honest it was a welcome change, I'm sure most followers can only tolerate so many dog mom selfies before it gets a little old. With simple prompts such as “a Disney Pixar-inspired movie poster,” pet owners can effortlessly emulate the animation house's style, even adding custom titles to put their pet in the starring role.
However, it turns out the realism that made the trend so appealing was a little too real for Disney. As we've seen with many AI generators there are always concerns about copyright but in this case, the issue stems from the use of Disney's logo, rather than the AI-generated images. The iconic logo is under strict copyright laws, which led Disney to raise concerns about potential infringement of its trademark.
In response, the prompt term "Disney" was briefly blocked from the generator, replaced by a popup telling users that the term violated the tool's policies. However, with the trend's ongoing popularity, it wasn't long until the term was reinstated, with a slight alteration that blurs or jumbles the original logo design.
Since the trend is predominantly a celebration of your furry friend, it's easy to overlook the jumbled-up semblance of the Disney logo nestled in the design. Fans of the ultra-cute trend will be happy to know that the results are still equally as convincing and delightfully hilarious depending on the absurdity of your prompt.
For more AI news, check out Google's fantasy product generator that could be the future of shopping, or take a look at the bizarre AI Human Generator that can dream up fictional humans in a heartbeat.
