--- title: "Acclaimed Movie Secretly Contained AI Generated Imagery" description: "Fans discovered several AI-generated images in the horror movie \"Late Night With the Devil,\" which the directors have since confirmed." date: "2024-03-22" modified: "2024-03-22" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/acclaimed-movie-contained-ai-imagery" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "generative ai" - "movies" - "the digest" --- # Acclaimed Movie Secretly Contained AI Generated Imagery ![Fans discovered several AI-generated images in the horror movie "Late Night With the Devil," which the directors have since confirmed.]() *\Image: Umbrella Entertainment / Futurism\* ## Horror Show A movie released to critical acclaim has now been met with intense backlash after fans discovered it included AI-generated images. Written and directed by siblings Cameron and Colin Cairnes, "Late Night With the Devil," is a horror movie starring David Dastmalchian as a 70s talk show host. Through found footage, it shows a once "lost" live TV broadcast on Halloween, in which the evening's guest, a young girl, claims to be demonically possessed. Critics and audiences alike have raved about the movie since it premiered at the SXSW film festival — but that goodwill proved to be short-lived. In a scathing and now viral review [shared on Letterboxd](), a user called out the movie for having AI "all over" certain sequences, garnering thousands of likes and inciting tons of fiery discourse [on other social media platforms](). "Don't let this be the start of accepting this shit in your entertainment," the user wrote. ## Boneheaded Move The film appears to have used AI-generated images only in a handful of very minor transitions between scenes, such as this [cutaway image of a skeleton](). Given that generative AI is a touchy topic among creatives who often feel the tech is stealing their art, though, it's not unsurprising that even a minor offense can be seen as a mortal sin. Some users have called to [boycott the movie](). Responding to a circulating image of the AI-generated cutaway, one artist responded by sharing their own [recreation of the skeleton]() graphic, lamenting that "this could have been a dream job for an artist like me." Following the backlash, the Cairnes brothers released a [statement to *Variety*]() confirming their use of AI. "In conjunction with our amazing graphics and production design team, all of whom worked tirelessly to give this film the 70s aesthetic we had always imagined," the directing duo wrote, "we experimented with AI for three still images which we edited further and ultimately appear as very brief interstitials in the film." "We feel incredibly fortunate to have had such a talented and passionate cast, crew and producing team go above and beyond to help bring this film to life," they added. "We can't wait for everyone to see it for themselves this weekend." ## Collateral Damage As some have observed, the directors' response doesn't attempt to justify or explain the decision — and it's not much in the way of an apology, either. We're now seeing the pendulum swing the other way, however: after days of backlash, some observers [are taking a more measured stance](), condemning the tech's use but calling the response overblown. "Was that a boneheaded move to include \[AI\] at all? YES," wrote film critic Courtney Howard [on X](), formerly Twitter. "However, the multitude of Actual Humans who worked on the film deserve your attention." Overblown or not, the wild ups and downs of this heated saga show a risk for creative directors of all stripes: that audiences currentl**y** have little tolerance towards the tech. **More on AI:** *[Nvidia Is Simulating a Copy of the Earth]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()