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4th-Gen Girl Group’s Agency Under Fire For Alleged “AI Art” In Teasers

“Enough with the AI!”
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Koreaboo

Since LOONA members Heejin, Kim Lip, Haseul, Choerry, and Jinsoul reformed as ARTMS, fans have been excitedly anticipating the group’s first release. However, that excitement has now been hampered as ARTMS’s agency, MODHAUS, has been accused of using artificial intelligence for the group’s newly released teasers.

The backlash began on March 21, when ARTMS released the track poster for “Virtual Angel,” the title song on their upcoming album, Dall. At first, fans were enthralled by the creative direction, which seemed to mark a return to the LOONA ‘lore’ many had been missing.

Several even began zooming into the background, trying to match the frames on the television screens to past LOONA music videos. However, conversations took a more disappointed turn when a handful of fans pointed out that the photograph appeared to be generated using artificial intelligence.

In particular, eagle-eyed Orbits pointed out the wings in the photo, which appear to feature an unrealistic texture and position, seemingly phasing through the model’s hair. Others also noted that the hair strands look unnatural, as well as the position of the model’s arms.

The images went on to spark a debate, with some fans arguing that they couldn’t see the discrepancies, leading others to believe the photo was AI-generated. Others also suggested that the over-sharpened look may have come from a combination of poor Photoshop technique and the use of an image upscaling tool (such as the popular app Remini), rather than full computer generation.

However, when ARTMS’s next track poster was released the following day, many fans doubled down on their original opinions. The track poster for “Air,” which features a transparent glass slipper in shallow water surrounded by mist, has quintessential and undeniable hallmarks of AI, according to LOONA fans on social media.

Fuel was also added to the fire when member Jinsoul sent a message to fans on the fan-idol chat app Bubble, stating, “AI angel.” Given the ambiguity of the message, many are unsure whether Jinsoul was referring to the creation of the first teaser photo or simply the concept of the song.

artms ai jinsoul
Jinsoul: “AI angel” | Dear U Bubble

Since they began to gain popularity, tools like DALL-E and Midjourney have been heavily criticized by the public. In particular, AI-generated art (which many argue cannot be considered ‘art’ at all) has come under fire for using human artists’ pictures as training material without permission, as well as for its ability to take away jobs from real artists. As such, many are unwilling to support businesses that use artificial intelligence in their creative process.

artms ai example
As an example, the game ‘Foamstars’ (pictured) has faced fierce critique over Square Enix’s admitted use of AI image generation, with many calling to boycott the game. | Square Enix

That’s one reason why so many ARTMS fans are upset by MODHAUS’s possible decision to use AI for the group. Some are worried that the choice will reflect badly on the LOONA members and lead them to lose fans.

Others have complained that the use of AI is in direct contrast to the creativity and artistic direction LOONA has been known for in the past. As MODHAUS is headed by LOONA’s former creative director and producer Jaden Jeong, who played a formative role in the creation of their popular ‘LOONAVERSE’ lore, many ARTMS fans were hoping to see a return to the aesthetics of LOONA’s early days.

In response, fans have started a hashtag to get the attention of MODHAUS, with many also sending emails or trying to communicate with the agency on Discord. As of yet, the company has not responded to the allegations or confirmed that artificial intelligence was used in both track posters. However, several are leaning towards to assumption that the accusations are true, given that MODHAUS already uses controversial blockchain technology as part of its marketing.

The criticism comes just a few months after Chuu’s new agency, ATRP, was caught using AI-generated cover art for one of the star’s digital singles.

Former LOONA Chuu’s New Agency Faces Fierce Backlash From Fans

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