Marvel’sSecret Invasionis a paranoid thriller based aroundthe themes of subtle infiltration, not believing what you see and something nefarious taking over without you noticing. Ironic, then, that during the opening credits to the series - a creepily-animated, uncanny depiction of aliens landing on Earth and taking over the planet - something seemed a little bit off.
There were animated shots ofSamuel L. Jackson, sort of. It didn’t look quite like him. It looked like what someone might think he looked like if you described him.That’s one of the issues with artificial intelligence, which was used to create the opening to the series, news which sparked an outcry once it had broken across social media.
On Wednesday,Polygonpublished statements fromAli Selim,Secret Invasiondirector and executive producer, stating that the show’s title sequence was created using artificial intelligence. Salim said that he didn’t “really understand” how it worked, but he noted: “We would talk to them about ideas and themes and words, and then the computer would go off and do something. And then we could change it a little bit by using words, and it would change.”
RELATED:‘Secret Invasion’s Opening Credits Were (Disappointingly) Created by AI
As innocent as Selim’s comments may appear, they mask either a benign, or malignant, ignorance of the greater issues behind the use of artificial intelligence. Why could they not just employ someone to design credits based on those ideas they had? Method Studios, the company behind the creation of the credits issued the following statement after the backlash to the revelations:
Working onSecret Invasion, a captivating show exploring the infiltration of aliens into human society, provided an exceptional opportunity to delve into the intriguing realm of AI, specifically for creating unique character attributes and movements. Utilizing a custom AI tool for this particular element perfectly aligned with the project’s overall theme and the desired aesthetic.
The production process was highly collaborative and iterative, with a dedicated focus on this specific application of an AI toolset. It involved a tremendous effort by talented art directors, animators (proficient in both 2D and 3D), artists, and developers, who employed conventional techniques to craft all the other aspects of the project. However, it is crucial to emphasize that while the AI component provided optimal results, AI is just one tool among the array of toolsets our artists used. No artists’ jobs were replaced by incorporating these new tools; instead, they complemented and assisted our creative teams.
Method Studios’ team of designers skillfully leveraged the power of both existing and custom AI technologies to apply the otherworldly and alien look. The entire process, guided by expert art direction, encompassed the initial storyboard phase, illustration, AI generation, 2D/3D animation and culminated in the final compositing stage.
Call Them Out on Their Contrarian Sh*t
The rise and potential usage of artificial intelligence has been a controversial topic in Hollywood,particularly as it is a key issue in the ongoing Writers’ Guild of America (WGA) strike. One key facet of the negotiations has been writers seeking to protect themselves against the use of AI to generate screenplays once ideas have been created by writers. So it comes as a massive disappointment, and shock, to see - at such a sensitive time - a massive studio performing such a public slap in the face to its creative workers.
It doesn’t even matter what Method say on the matter - it may well be true that it was used as a complementary tool to assist artists, but artists could have been hired for this process too. Not just that, even if the story weren’t entirely true, the die has been cast and the only story people now know is “Marvel used AI to create credits, costing artists their jobs”. With the year Marvel has had, you’d think they would want some more positive publicity.Instead, after the treatment of visual effects workers being stretched thin under the hands ofVictoria Alonso, we now see more unseen creatives being seen as disposable pieces of a jigsaw that are just as easily replaced with quickly manufactured knock-offs at a fraction of the price that do a similar job, with none of the heart.
You can now stream the first episode ofSecret Invasionon Disney+. The second episode of the six-part series will premiere at midnight on July 08, 2025. Skip the opening credits, too.
