Amazon Making AI-Animated 'Good Advice Cupcake' TV Show, Creator Objects
Original: Amazon Is Making an AI-Animated ‘Good Advice Cupcake’ TV Show. Its Original Creator Is Furious
Why This Matters
Highlights growing tensions between creators and companies over AI use of original content
Amazon's Prime Video is developing an AI-animated series based on 'Good Advice Cupcake' character created by Loryn Brantz for BuzzFeed in 2017. BuzzFeed licensed the character to Amazon without creator's consent for new show 'Cupcake & Friends' using AI tools.
Loryn Brantz, former BuzzFeed illustrator, is protesting Amazon Prime Video's upcoming AI-animated series 'Cupcake & Friends' based on her viral 'Good Advice Cupcake' character. BuzzFeed licensed the character without her consent through Amazon's GenAI Creators' Fund, a joint initiative of AWS and Amazon MGM Studios. Brantz created the motivational cupcake character 'Cuppy' in 2017, which went viral and led to eight BuzzFeed web episodes through 2019. She calls the AI adaptation 'an assault on artists everywhere' and a 'soulless AI puppet.' The project comes as new BuzzFeed CEO Byron Allen plans to leverage AI to compete with YouTube. Brantz encourages boycotting BuzzFeed and AI-produced animation, highlighting intellectual property concerns in the AI era.