The Great AI vs. Photoshop Debate: The Fantastic Four Poster Controversy
A Look at the Controversy
The launch of the marketing machine for Marvel Entertainment’s Fantastic Four reboot this month was overshadowed by claims that a Fantastic Four: First Steps poster looked like it was made using AI. Fans piled on to the company’s posts on social media to criticise the design, which included a hand with three fingers – often a sign of AI image generation.
Marvel’s Denial
But it wasn’t a clear-cut case. Marvel denied that it used AI to create the poster for the upcoming movie, and many people have pointed out that it could have been an old-fashioned Photoshop fail with some rushed compositing.
The Controversy Unfolds
The controversy shows one of the problems with AI becoming so prevalent – it’s becoming hard to tell, and everything is suspect. Was it AI, or were the flags were added to the image as an afterthought, and pointing hands quickly be changed to fists? We asked for your thoughts.
Reader Reactions
AI or Photoshop?
Some readers found the three-fingered hand difficult to get over. "Admittedly, nothing else looks all that wrong besides the strange, AI-looking texture and font on the biggest poster (which could be explained by it being hand-drawn), but the hand is what’s really bugging me," Evelyn Martosko wrote. "It doesn’t look like a perspective/angle thing either where the other finger could be out of view."
Others were of the opinion that the mistakes in the image were more likely to be human error. "Humans make mistakes too," one reader said. "The detail of the people in the back is accurate. The more AI has to generate in an image the more it gets wrong. There’s very little wrong with all the details in the background".
A More Nuanced View
Some readers thought the conversation was too binary. "It’s entirely possible that the whole initial image was made by a human, but the composition felt unbalanced so a hand was added with AI," Adam Golan suggested, but added: "But there’s a lot of decisions here I doubt an AI would make on its own, like covering people’s faces with arms."
The Bigger Picture
Finally, one reader asked if it really matters either way: "1900: photography is not art; 1910: Jazz is not music; 1950: rock ‘n’ roll is not music; 1971: synth music is not music; 1980: computer-aided graphics are not art; 2010: digital installations are not art, 2025: AI-assisted creativity is not art. See the pattern?"
Conclusion
The Fantastic Four: First Steps poster controversy highlights the difficulties of distinguishing between human and AI-generated content. While some may be quick to jump to conclusions, others see a more nuanced picture. As the debate continues, we’re left wondering: what’s next for AI in the world of art and design?
FAQs
Q: Did Marvel use AI to create the Fantastic Four: First Steps poster?
A: Marvel denied it, but some fans are still unsure.
Q: What does the three-fingered hand on the poster look like?
A: It’s a distinctive feature that has sparked debate about whether it was created with AI or Photoshop.
Q: What are the implications of AI-generated content for art and design?
A: The Fantastic Four: First Steps poster controversy highlights the challenges of distinguishing between human and AI-generated content, and the importance of considering the bigger picture.
