Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse is probably one of the most-anticipated movies in superhero films right now. After the incredible Into the Spider-Verse and its equally great sequel Across the Spider-Verse were praised for their stunning, eclectic animation, fans are looking forward to the third and final film in the trilogy pushing things a step further when it finally comes out. What they’re not looking for is Sony bringing generative AI into the mix to create art from an algorithm fed on stolen work. Writer and producer Christopher Miller has tried to put any such concerns to rest, saying in no uncertain terms that Beyond the Spider-Verse will feature no such tech.
A Spider-Man fan on X (formerly Twitter) tweeted a message to Sony Animation’s account requesting the company keep generative AI away from Beyond the Spider-Verse.
“AI robs people of their jobs & produces nothing but slop. We don’t want that anywhere near this film or any film for that matter,” the post reads. “Please keep it away from the filmmaking process. Thank you.”
The tweet also tagged writing and producing duo Miller and Chris Lord, and Miller took the time to respond. He assured fans that Beyond the Spider-Verse will not use any generative AI. He also had some major criticisms about the use of the technology.
“There is no generative AI in Beyond the Spider-Verse and there never will be,” Miller wrote. “One of the main goals of the films is to create new visual styles that have never been seen in a studio CG film, not steal the generic plagiarized average of other artists’ work.”
While hearing Miller advocate for the human touch in these films is heartening, any talk of the means by which Spider-Verse movies are made requires mentioning reports of overwork and unsustainable production processes during the development of Across the Spider-Verse. For more on that, check out Vulture’s story. The solution to these problems isn’t to replace human workers with AI, it’s to create better pipelines for a humane work environment. Much of the response to Miller’s statement has acknowledged they appreciate his stance, while rightfully calling out the alleged working conditions on the Spider-Verse films.
Beyond the Spider-Verse was originally meant to premiere in March of 2024, though that obviously didn’t come to pass. In December 2023, Miller said that production was underway on the film, but no new release date has been given.