Welcome, creative friends!

AI Influencers: The robots are here to steal your followers. But are they really? Let’s weigh bytes and decide.

In today's rundown:

• 🤖 AI Influencer Buzz

• 📸 Diana Pic Legal Woes

• 🎬 WB Artists Safe?

• 🔥 Press Worthy Stories

• 📚 Learn & Grow

Read time: 3 minutes

👑 Diana's Pic: Photographer is Suing

Glenn Harvey, a former photographer for the British royal family, is suing a Chattanooga menswear retailer, Bruce Baird & Co., over the use of his photo of Princess Diana.

Harvey says he took the picture in 1985 and copyrighted it in 2019. Now, he’s claiming the store used the image without his permission to promote a $400 coat.

He’s asking for a jury trial and wants to be compensated for damages and legal fees.

The case is currently in a federal court in Chattanooga. It’s not often you see Princess Diana and Chattanooga in the same headline, but here we are.

This isn’t the first legal tango over Diana images – last year, her sons settled a case with a U.K. tabloid over photo rights.

The princess may be gone, but the debate over who owns her image lingers. And now, the debate has landed far from the ornate halls of Buckingham Palace, right in the heart of the Tennessee Valley.

🎨 WB Animation: Artists Protected?

In a recent roundtable with LA Times, Sam Register of WB Animation expressed his commitment to “protect the artists and the art form.”

While his stance on storyboarding seemed promising at first glance, his emphasis on providing opportunities for “entry-level experience” raises questions about long-term support.

When discussing AI in animation, Register made it clear that WB hasn’t seen AI replicate what artists currently do “visually.” 

However, the caveat of “currently” leaves room for potential shifts.

Overall, industry observers will be watching closely to see how these commitments translate into action amidst ongoing AI debates in Hollywood.

🤖 AI Influencers: A Gimmick or a Threat?

When it comes to advertising, AI is the new agency hotshot. Amazon, Google, and Meta are urging brands to let AI dream up ad content, which they say will be hyper-targeted and way cheaper.

And get this: AI-made virtual influencers are muscling in on the $21bn creator economy.

These digital darlings look almost human and are promoting stuff left and right. Meta says an H&M ad with a cartoon influencer saw ads and costs improve.

But before you cry ‘end of an era’ for flesh-and-blood creators, note that virtuals are more like ad mascots than YouTube stars so far.

Still, if synthetic faces can hawk stuff better (even if they're not yet Kardashian famous), it's a new avenue for brands.

Consider it an audition for AI in advertising and a turf war for the influencer market, with low-poly Kuki and her eternally thin lips as the face of the fight.

Is this the start of the synth-fluencer era, or just a blip on the brand metric radar? Watch this virtual space.

 LATEST FROM BEAZY

• Top 15 Photo & Film Locations: Book Your Dream Backdrop Today in Berlin, Amsterdam and Estoril!

• Top 10 Unique Locations in Berlin: Discover Inspiring Photo and Video Shoot Venues

• Transforming Ordinary Locations into Extraordinary Sets for Creative Projects