A K-Pop Teaser Allegedly AI-Cloned Their Gobelins Student Film: ‘Niccolò’ Co-Director Speaks Out

Leading French animation school Gobelins says a new music video for the K-pop girl group Billlie copied the design of a 2025 student short film, Niccolò, without permission, and has threatened to take legal action in defense of the short’s directors.

What’s Happening

On April 30, Gobelins Paris posted across its digital networks that the school had “mobilized our legal teams to defend our copyrights and evaluate potential legal action” against Korean label Mystic Story, after the Niccolò team flagged what the school calls a “clear case of plagiarism.”

How it Started

On April 23, Mystic Story released “cartography of the unconscious” online as a teaser for Billlie’s B-side “$ECRET No More.”

Fans immediately flagged it as a genAI output that closely mimicked Niccolò, the gothic-tinged graduation from students directors Clémentine Di Prizio, David Florian, Axelle Granet, Sirui Liu, Hugo Michalet, and Pachiomius Njolai.

Co-director David Florian called the teaser “AI slop” and said the film had been used “without our permission or any credit given.” He later added that the design was “clearly 1-to-1 Niccolò’s,” and that generative AI “will always steal.”

The Label’s Response

Mystic Story CEO Jungsu Han first defended artists’ use of AI when it carries “artistic meaning,” then backtracked under fan pressure and promised no unnecessary AI use going forward. On April 25, the company’s official account said that an internal review found no plagiarism or copyright violations.

Director’s Reaction

Speaking with Cartoon Brew, co-director David Florian said he first learned of the teaser through Instagram DMs from a friend and a former schoolmate, who sent him screenshots circulating on X. While some early shots gave him pause, one specific scene made the resemblance “incredibly obvious” to him, followed by several others throughout the video.

Florian framed the incident as part of a broader frustration with generative AI, saying that technology is “really allowed to basically grab most people’s work” and that platforms like Instagram make it deliberately difficult for artists to opt out. He also expressed frustration that companies aren’t required to disclose AI use, and while artists can spot the tells, “a lot of people can’t.” Seeing a passion project he was deeply involved in repurposed for an “official release” and “financial gain,” he said, “felt really bad.”

A School, An Advocate

Florian was caught off guard by Gobelins’ response. He tells us he reached out to the school the day he found out and initially heard nothing. That’s understandable, he noted, with major milestones like graduation, Cannes, and Annecy approaching. He’d expected, at most, “a little email back.” Instead, the school issued a public statement. “Seeing that they actually officially take a stance on it and put it out there, it’s very cool to see,” he said. “It’s for sure not an easy step for them to take.”

Florian graduated with Niccolò and is now working at a studio in Tokyo.

Why it Matters

Gobelins is named as the producer of its student films, which means the school can seek direct legal action on behalf of its alumni. A formal suit would be one of the first cross-border tests of how courts treat AI output that replicates an identifiable artist’s style.