Commercial director Wes Walker is defending his recent Under Armour spot which was “met with a flood of criticism in the production community” as it was made with the help of AI, according to Tim Nudd of AD AGE. Walker is calling on the industry to “confront the difficult questions AI raises, rather than hoping they will go away.” He “came under intense criticism” -- particularly in the comments of an Instagram post where the ad was featured -- from many who felt the spot, released March 5, was a “step in the wrong direction for the industry.” The ad "combined footage from previous UA spots with AI and 3D CG imagery to create new visuals of boxer Anthony Joshua without shooting new footage." It also used AI to "create a voiceover built off existing recordings of Joshua’s voice." Walker said that he was “surprised by the ‘mob mentality’ of those who accused him of being soulless -- or worse -- for making the UA spot.” He added that he had been using the past few weeks to “talk with people in AI about how to think about the future of the technology” (AD AGE, 3/22).
