from the natural stupidity Department

I admit, when I’ve witnessed the nonsense that comes with using artificial intelligence in stupid ways, I’ve always found it a little amusing when people get fooled. After all, I’ve witnessed most of it from afar. It feels a little different when you’re writing about a situation where you’re one of those fooled by the nonsense.

Sometime in the last week or so I personally remember seeing the following trailer for Big citythe upcoming film by Francis Ford Coppola.

The reason I remember this trailer is because of these opening quotes from film reviews of previous Coppola films. I am a fan of many of his films, as are millions of others. I remember laughing at these quotes and wondering how the hell critics of films like The Godfather And Apocalypse now. I even briefly considered Googling these critics’ names and seeing if I could find the full reviews, just to laugh at how hilariously wrong they were.

Well, someone else did just that. And they found that these were AI-generated quotes from fake reviews that those reviewers never wrote.

Lionsgate has parted ways with Eddie Egan, the marketing consultant who created the trailer for “Megalopolis” that featured fake quotes from famous film critics. The studio pulled the trailer on Wednesday after determining that the quotes disparaging Francis Ford Coppola’s previous work did not actually appear in critics’ reviews and were in fact fabricated.

Sources tell Variety that it was neither Lionsgate nor Egan’s intention to invent quotes, but rather an error in carefully reviewing and verifying the sentences provided by the consultant. The trailer was intended to show that Coppola’s highly regarded work, similar to “Megalopolis,” has been met with criticism. It appears that AI was used to generate the critics’ false quotes.

That is far too kind. Some of these critics who supposedly absolutely denigrate Coppola’s work, loved the films they allegedly disparaged. Variety was able to generate similar quotes with some trial and error and the use of ChatGPT, which is likely why all this happened. Misattributing a film critic’s words and reviews just to stir up false outrage and thus increase interest in Coppola’s new film is both a complete violation of the actual work of those critics and a loss of trust that the public will have in the studio.

To be honest, it seems like Lionsgate had no idea that the quotes in the trailer were fake, and worked pretty quickly to pull the trailer when the company found out.

“Lionsgate is immediately recalling our trailer for ‘Megalopolis,'” the company said on Wednesday. “We sincerely apologize to the critics involved, as well as to Francis Ford Coppola and American Zoetrope, for this inexcusable error in our review process. We messed up. We’re sorry.”

Still, this is a pretty grim picture for the industry, at a time when both the public and every SAG member are concerned about the potential of AI to impact creative work in negative ways.

Or if Lionsgate wants to hear ChatGPT’s opinion on this:

Lionsgate’s use of fake AI-generated quotes for the trailer of Megalopolis was a serious misstep and drew significant criticism. The use of AI-generated quotes can undermine the authenticity and credibility of marketing materials, especially when they are presented as genuine critics’ recommendations.

Many believe that the inclusion of these artificial quotes not only misleads potential viewers, but also raises ethical concerns about transparency and trust in advertising. If viewers or critics discover such manipulation, it can damage the studio’s reputation and affect the film’s reception.

In the case of Megalopolis, this controversy has highlighted the broader issue of how AI can be misused in advertising contexts. It underscores the importance of maintaining the integrity of marketing practices and being transparent about the sources and nature of recommendations.

And you can quote me on that.

Filed under: AI, Francis Ford Coppola, Marketing, Megalopolis, Trailer

Company: Lionsgate