‘Wicked’ star Ariana Grande finds AI ‘problematic’ after fan-edited posters cause controversy

“Wicked” star Ariana Grande isn’t sure about artificial intelligence after co-star Cynthia Erivo was insulted by fan edits of the upcoming musical’s poster.

“I think it’s really complicated because I find AI so conflicted and problematic at times, but I think it’s such a massive adjustment period,” Grande told Variety at the Academy Awards Gala last Saturday.

He continued, “This is something much bigger than us, and the fans are going to have fun and make their edits.”

“And I have a lot of respect for my sister, Cynthia, and I love her a lot. It’s just a big adjustment period. It’s very exhilarating for something that’s so much bigger than us.”

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Several posters for the film have been released, with one of the most recent evoking the original Broadway poster, which shows Grande’s character Glinda whispering in Erivo’s Elphaba’s ear. The key difference in the movie poster is that, unlike the Broadway version, you can clearly see Erivo’s eyes under Elphaba’s hat.

Some fans altered the film version to more closely match the Broadway version, including lowering Erivo’s hat to cover his eyes.

Erivo spoke out against fan edits of the “Wicked” poster last Wednesday on social media.

“This is the most wild and offensive thing I’ve seen like the horrible AI of us fighting, like people asking the question, ‘Is your p… green?'” he wrote in a story on Instagram has since expired.

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The “AI of us fighting” is an AI-generated animation that transforms the static poster into a cartoon fight between the two women that went somewhat viral.

“None of this is fun. None of this is pretty. It degrades me. It degrades us,” Erivo wrote.

As for the fan-edited poster, Erivo had a particular problem with the blindfold.

“The original poster is an illustration,” he wrote. “I am a real-life human being who chose to look at you, the viewer, through the barrel of the camera…because without words we communicate with our eyes. Our poster is a tribute not a imitation, to edit my face and hide my eyes is to erase me and that is deeply hurtful.”

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Representatives for Grande and Erivo did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

According to Forbes, “Wicked” director John M. Chu showed his support for Erivo’s comments on his own Instagram story, sharing a screenshot of her statement and calling her his “superhero” .

Online, fans generally felt that Erivo’s reaction was too intense for a fan-edited poster.

“I might sound mean but Cynthia needs to chill because it’s not that serious, memes have always been around,” one person wrote.

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Another joked: “Insufferably serious is one of my favorite types of celebrities so I’m very happy with Cynthia Erivo’s current choices.”

A few defended Erivo, citing some of the backlash the actress faced simply by being cast in the role.

“Since her casting, she’s faced a myriad of criticisms, from not being ‘right’ for the role because she’s not white, to not being ‘pretty enough,'” one person wrote, adding: ” Cynthia asks people to see her as a human being first In her post, she simply asks for respect, not only for herself, but for Ariana, who also faces unnecessary drag for being herself in this role women of color, face when they dare to be in spaces that are not always welcoming.”

Additionally, some supported Erivo’s disapproval of AI, writing, “I for one am 100% supporting Cynthia Erivo for her hatred of AI.”

Source of original article: ‘Wicked’ star Ariana Grande finds AI ‘problematic’ after fan-edited posters cause controversy