UPDATE: Oct. 12, 2023, 3:19 p.m. EDT This story has been updated with statements from Disney and Shutterstock confirming the image was not AI-generated.

A promotional image for the Marvel series Loki appears to be AI-generated imagery, according to illustrator Katria Raden, who posted about it on X (formerly known as Twitter). However, Disney reached out to Mashable to debunk this claim as false.

Shutterstock investigated the issue and corroborated this in a statement to Mashable: "We have confirmed that the image in question was not created by AI. The artist used a software tool to create the Droste Effect responsible for the subtle creative imperfections most often associated with AI."

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Raden noted the promo poster has 'telltale signs' of AI generation

The background image of a spiraling clock shows "numerals on the clock turning into meaningless squiggles or just being meaningless squiggles," posted Raden, which are "telltale signs" of AI-generated art. Others chimed in to say that the figures running up and down the spiral surrounding Loki's head appear to be AI-generated (or it's just poor Photoshop work).

The stock image, which was sourced from Shutterstock, is not labeled as an AI-generated creation, but content uploaded by the same contributor have similar signs of being AI-generated (e.g., symbols that appear to be numbers or roman numerals, but are blurry or squiggly nonsense).

Shutterstock's contributor policy prohibits AI-generated content unless it is created by its AI Image Generator tool, trained with Shutterstock's library, which applies a disclaimer explicitly stating that it was created using AI. However, as mentioned at the outset, a Disney spokesperson confirmed that AI was notused in the creation of this poster.

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The rise of widely available generative AI tools has made it easy for people to create their own AI-generated art. DALL-E 3 and Bing Image Creator are widely available, and stock libraries like Getty, Adobe, and Shutterstock have launched their own image creating tools. However, generative AI tools have raised questions about ownership and intellectual property as well as the automation of creative skills that artists rely on for their livelihood.

• Shutterstock launches an AI image generator. Just what we needed.
• How to use Bing Image Creator with DALL-E 3 — generate AI art in just seconds
• Bing Image Creator users are doing some... interesting things with new DALL-E 3 upgrade
• OpenAI just revealed DALL-E 3, its newest image generator

"Licensing photos and illustrations on stock sites has been a way many hard-working artists have been earning a living," wrote Raden in a follow-up to the original post. "I don't think replacing them with generated imagery via tech built on mass exploitation and wage theft is any more ethical than replacing Disney's own employees."

"It's almost like there's no interest in actual art coming from Disney/Marvel these days. Only content," replied one user. "I can't believe they are doing it again after Secret Invasion. Disappointing," said another, pointing out another Marvel series that controversially used AI.

Tools like Shutterstock AI and Adobe Firefly are trained on their own stock library, so they're legally protected. However, the ethical issue of replacing creative work remains. Plus, as AI continues to improve, it's getting more difficult to determine whether something is AI-generated to the untrained eye.