HYBE Gets Called Out Over Suspected Use Of AI Art In ILLIT’s Teaser Video

Recently, netizens have accused HYBE Labels of using AI-generated art for a teaser video of its upcoming girl group, ILLIT.

The group, which was created through the survival show R U Next?, is set to debut soon under HYBE’s subsidiary, Belift Lab. The quintet comprises members Yunah, Minju, Moka, Wonhee, and Iroha.

The girl group will mark its debut on March 25 with the mini album Super Real Me. As the day of the release draws closer, HYBE has drawn in more excitement from fans with various teaser videos.

On March 16, KST, the label dropped the highlight medley of the album, giving fans a sneak peek of what kind of sound to expect from the debut. The song snippets were accompanied by very chic, anime-like animated visuals that invoke a sense of 2000s nostalgia.

However, some fans noticed a few discrepancies in the artwork used in the animations, raising suspicions that HYBE has partly used AI-generated art for the video.

HYBE’s AI Art on New ILLIT Teasers… this is disappointing.
byu/___von inkpopthoughts

Now why the fuck is HYBE using AI in the highlight melody for their new group ILLIT. The entire video has AI art mixed with animation probably done by an actual artist. pic.twitter.com/DFFh9Jl8tK

— 『Depressed Optimist』🇵🇸 (@depressedop) March 15, 2024

Some of the irregularities that netizens have pointed out include broken line art, discontinuity in details, and smudged elements.

A significant number of netizens found merit in the accusations and have criticized the label for taking the low road despite being a big corporation that could definitely afford to hire a real, skilled artist. Some, however, pointed out that the fault lay with the creative director and noted that the artist credited for the video follows many AI-created art accounts on social media, hinting that the usage of AI was not too ridiculous of an assumption.

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inkpopthoughts

the use of ai in art encourages the use of ai to steal and harass lmao why would you allow a big corporation like hybe to start such an awful precedent just cause you feel the need to defend k-pop groups online

— jaseon (@ihateseungeon) March 15, 2024

'i don't care if its ai' .. you should care a multi-million dollar company is stealing from real artists.

mooncube literally follows ai accounts on instagram it is 100% possible the art was PARTLY ai. that being said !! hating on illit when it's the company's fault is weird !! pic.twitter.com/s8P5o2U9oP

— ౨ৎ super real kiku (@mokasbbg) March 15, 2024

Gosh I feel so bad for ILLIT and even their creative director😭 first the dance cover choreo and now ai animation situation.
Why can't people do their proper job right??

— 𝑫𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒚⋆ (@Choco_r17) March 15, 2024

However, some also negated the speculations, noting that the artist has a similar stylistic approach all over their portfolio, having worked with big-name brands like Swarovski and DIOR.

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inkpopthoughts

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Neither the label nor the artist have responded to the accusations yet.