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On The Use Of AI In Sylvain Chomet’s Dior Ad: A Correction And An Apology
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After we published an article earlier this week about a new Dior ad campaign helmed by four-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker Sylvain Chomet, questions were quickly raised about the company’s explicit claims that the short was hand-drawn, with users across all social media platforms posting images that appear to indicate that generative AI was used in the making of the short.
After taking a closer look at those images and rewatching the short more carefully, it does seem likely that the claims hold some water, and that AI was used to create some of the film’s final imagery and animation. We can’t report that as fact and don’t want to make any definitive claims based on speculation, but the evidence is compelling.
Here are some of the more widely circulated examples people say show clear AI artifacts.
We’ve reached out to both Chomet and the Dior PR team, but neither has yet responded to our requests for comment or clarification. If either does, we’ll keep you updated.
Nothing in the original promotional materials or the accompanying behind-the-scenes video mentions the use of AI, and everything released with the campaign has strong, hand-crafted, pro-artist PR spin. If AI was used on the short and not disclosed, the campaign seems purposefully organized to deceive.
Jamie’s Take: I owe our readers an apology. Our original article described the short as hand-drawn in its title. I based that headline on the materials provided and what I saw in the film, which I should have watched more carefully. I’ve since removed that description from the headline and updated the original article.
I should have taken my time and paid better attention to the video. I was too eager to get the article up and start on my next one. The warning signs were there, and I missed them because I didn’t take enough time to watch carefully.
I still think it’s important to give the people involved a chance to explain their involvement in this project and what they knew about its production methods. Especially Chomet, who has decades of outstanding work on his resume. But regardless of what comes out in the coming days and weeks, or if we ever even find out if and how AI was used, I should have done a better job with the original piece.
I’m sorry, and I’ll be more careful going forward.
