Creator protests Amazon AI-animated ‘Cupcake’ series based on her character

The Story

Author and illustrator Loryn Brantz, the creator of the “Good Advice Cupcake” character Cuppy, has publicly criticized BuzzFeed and Amazon for licensing her character to Prime Video for an AI-assisted animated series titled Cupcake & Friends. The project is one of three shows greenlit through the GenAI Creators’ Fund, a joint initiative of Amazon Web Services and Amazon MGM Studios. Brantz, a former BuzzFeed employee, expressed anger over the use of generative AI to produce content based on a character she created nearly a decade ago.

Key Facts

• BuzzFeed owns the intellectual property rights to Cuppy, as confirmed by a BuzzFeed spokesperson.
• Brantz created the character in 2016, originally for a children’s book pitch that was passed on by a Disney publishing imprint.
• In 2017, a comic featuring the “Good Advice Cupcake” went viral across multiple platforms.
• BuzzFeed produced eight episodes of a Good Advice Cupcake webseries that ran through summer 2019.
• Brantz left BuzzFeed in 2023 and continued to license the character from the company for her own content, including an Instagram page with more than 2 million followers.
• Jonah Peretti, president of BuzzFeed AI and former CEO, stated that human creativity would remain central to the project and that AI would be used as a creation tool, comparing it to Disney’s adoption of Xerox technology.
• Peretti said Brantz was categorically opposed to AI and that BuzzFeed respected her decision not to be involved.
• Brantz claims BuzzFeed did not contact her about the project until after she began making public statements, and that she was asked to sign a nondisclosure agreement to learn more.
• Brantz stated she is exploring legal options but is “not feeling as optimistic as usual.”

Conflicting Reports

The source article presents conflicting accounts from BuzzFeed and Brantz. BuzzFeed, through Jonah Peretti, said the company shared details of the project with Brantz and respected her decision not to participate because of her opposition to AI. Brantz stated that BuzzFeed did not contact her about the project and only offered more information after it became clear she would raise public objections. Brantz also rejected Peretti’s comparison of AI to Xerox technology, calling it deeply misleading.

Still Unclear

It is unclear how generative AI will specifically be used in the production of Cupcake & Friends. Brantz’s potential legal options and the outcome of any intellectual property dispute remain unspecified.

Misconceptions

The article addresses the misconception that AI will replace human creativity in the series. BuzzFeed insists that human writing, storytelling, and animation remain at the core, with AI as a facilitation tool. Brantz argues that this framing obscures the fundamental role of AI in the project and equates it with a historical technological shift in animation, which she disputes.

Key Figures

• Loryn Brantz, author and illustrator, creator of the Good Advice Cupcake character, former BuzzFeed employee and executive creative director for Ms. Rachel.
• Jonah Peretti, president of BuzzFeed AI and former CEO of BuzzFeed.
• Unnamed BuzzFeed spokesperson (provided a statement to WIRED).

Sources: Wired