AI in Media

Since 2023, artificial intelligence has become one of the world’s most technologically advanced software. However, its innovations have come with a share of unregulated content that violates copyright laws and endangers many working in the creative space. There has been a growing concern among those who fear that their jobs are at risk because of more efficient and cost-effective outputs, most notably in the film and music industries.

Nowadays, AI software like MidJourney, Sora, and Adobe Firefly can generate original video and music content without a team of creatives working days, weeks, or months on one project. Now, with the recent success of Sora2 as a video-generation software, people must be more informed and aware of AI implementations and their impact on culture, as well as how we use AI in our day-to-day lives. Thus, here are a few instances where our modern values have clashed with AI’s advancements.

Background

Artificial intelligence responds to user-generated prompts by processing vast amounts of data and information accessible on the internet. Now, some of that information is protected under copyright laws, which grant rights to the creators of original work and protect them against unauthorized use. This allows artists and media companies to request that their content or imagery be removed from social media platforms, where users can upload content that may or may not be theirs. This happens most often with copyrighted material that is uploaded or reposted by users, which AI scans without knowing that the material belongs to a particular individual or company. The internet has made it challenging to regulate copyrighted material on a wider scale. Plus, the lack of regulatory laws surrounding the use of AI leaves companies like OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, and Meta, which have pioneered the technology in recent years, with limited responsibility in how their software scans web-accessible data.

Coca-Cola Christmas Advertisements (2024 & 2025)

Coca-Cola is one of the world’s largest beverage companies, with a significant portion of its fanbase appreciating the craft and care it invests in its Christmas advertising. Every year, Coca-Cola features a legion of trucks delivering its bottles and cans of soda to celebrate the upcoming holiday season. However, since 2024, they have used it to explore AI’s speed and efficiency. Its first attempt was less than pleasant, as many lamented its use of AI imagery in place of something more authentic and hand-crafted.

In 2025, Coca-Cola took a second swing, this time with greater transparency in how it made the advertisements. The benefit? Shorter production time. According to The Wall Street Journal, Coca-Cola’s Chief Marketing Officer Manolo Arroyo clarified in November 2025 that the new AI ads were cheaper and speedier to produce: “We were doing the shooting and all the standard processes for a project, we would start a year in advance. Now, you can get it done in around a month.” For industry leaders, AI is a means to cut costs and provide consumers with higher-quality content that advertises their brand’s products. To consumers, it’s a lack of creativity and a lack of faith in what people love about their favorite brands.

Ghibli-style Image Generation

In April 2025, OpenAI published an update to ChatGPT that enhanced the program’s image generator. Many users tested the limits of its capabilities, resulting in the “Ghibli filter” trend, where users would upload photos and ask ChatGPT to generate an image in the Studio Ghibli art style. For context, Studio Ghibli is a Japan-based animation studio that prides itself on 2D and hand-drawn animation, with its co-founder, Hayao Miyazaki, being on record in an official documentary about himself, referring to his distaste for AI-generated animation. As a result, this “filter” fell into hot water amongst fans of the studio and the studio itself. Studio Ghibli’s work is protected under copyright laws, meaning nobody can copy or plagiarize their work until it enters the public domain.

The ordeal also put AI art back in the forefront, as much of the appeal of Studio Ghibli’s art style lies in the creativity and charm that comes from those who work on their projects. Artificial intelligence tries to understand the human condition to the best of its ability, but it lacks the awareness and emotional understanding that make art a form of expression. As Jonathan Lam, a storyboard artist working in video games and animation, told The New York Times in March 2025, “Our style is actually our identity. It's what sets us apart from each other. It’s what makes us marketable to clients.”

AI-Generated Music Band(s)

In the summer of 2025, Spotify users discovered several heartfelt and high-quality folk-country songs from a new band, The Velvet Sundown. However, shortly after their debut, they received backlash for their use of AI, clarifying in a post on X, formerly Twitter, in July 2025 that they were a “synthetic music project guided by human creative direction, and composed, voiced, and visualized with the support of artificial intelligence.” Several figures also told The Guardian in July 2025 that “the present situation, where streaming sites, including Spotify, are under no legal obligation to identify AI-generated music, left consumers unaware of the origins of the songs they’re listening to.”

Many social media platforms lack the resources to identify when users are or are not interacting with AI-generated content. That said, Roberto Neri, chief executive of music organization Ivors Academy, told The Guardian in July 2025, "If used ethically, AI has the potential to enhance songwriting.” Like in many other environments, AI can make workflows more efficient and the creative process more accessible without losing the authenticity and humanism that many people appreciate about stories and culture.

Takeaway

AI is a powerful resource that improves workflow and the research process. It also condenses data and information much quicker than the human eye ever could, leading to breakthroughs in medical science, physics, and cybersecurity. It takes care of more tedious tasks and provides people with the time to focus on the work pivotal to the end product. However, its use as a tool leaves a massive gray area in how users can use it to increase their productivity. It has led many to test AI’s limits, much to the detriment of the current job market. Like all AI models, the way people work is evolving, and the world will learn how to use these models effectively. The key is to find when and where AI should be used, and where it should be exempt to allow for more human ingenuity.