He wasn’t too thrilled with the results.
With the rise of AI, there is some criticism from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’s co-producer Christopher Miller’s use of it with the NBA.
The NBA has debuted turning visuals from live games into AI-generated spectacles. This can include something that resembles a Spider-Man movie, IGN reports. It all comes down to what you tell it to do.
When the commissioner of the NBA, Adam Silver, debuted this new tech with San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama during the All-Star Weekend, it was interesting…
To prompt the AI, Silver commenced it by saying, “Show me the Pacers game as if it were a Spider-Man movie.”
The game appeared on the screen with a little likeness to the Spider-Verse series, with bold colors, sharp lines, and generic faces. However, it looked more like (in my opinion) an early version of a video game for Nintendo 64 than anything spectacular.
Christopher Miller comments on new Spider-Man NBA AI
Miller hopped on X to express his feelings about this new AI technology mixed in with the NBA.
“I’m a big NBA fan, and I love that people are excited about Spider-Verse, but this janky-ass AI looks nothing like the hand-crafted innovative artistry of the films,” he wrote. The post included the clip from the AI animation.
Additionally, the producer alleged the data for the technology was never requested. Essentially, it was ripping off the art produced by someone else — which is a huge issue as AI advances.
“For the record, as far as I know, they never reached out to us about ‘scraping the films’ style,” the Spider-Man producer added.
AI tech has a way to go with the NBA and elsewhere. The ethical use of it is the biggest concern for artists, actors, athletes, and more. And until this gets sorted out, we’re stuck with this unethical “janky-ass” stuff.
About the Author
Nate Fakes is a syndicated cartoonist and writer who resides in the Los Angeles area. He’s into all things pop culture and entertainment — plus an avid donut enthusiast. When he’s not writing, he’s typically out exploring Southern California with his wife and daughter or wasting precious time trying to figure out what to stream next.
