The director behind Yung Lean's viral 'Storm' video says AI imitations on social media made even good work look 'lame'

Romain Gavras, the director behind Yung Lean's viral "Storm" video, contends that AI-generated imitations have tarnished his work. In an interview with Vulture, Gavras, who co-runs the audiovisual project Gener8ion with French producer Surkin, expressed dismay at the proliferation of AI-made copies of the music video, which boasts over 40 million views on YouTube since its April release.

Following the bullying narrative in "Storm," the video features a dance sequence where Lean and the tormenting boys break out in a coordinated routine during a class photo.

Social media users began utilizing AI to recreate the dance scene, substituting Lean and the schoolboys with a diverse array of characters, from animals to celebrities. Initially, Gavras found the novelty amusing, but the novelty soon faded as the AI replicas proliferated. Gavras lamented that the trend "made me sad for all the people who put in so much work on our video.

A trend like this can make even good work look lame." Gavras admitted he contemplated quitting filmmaking entirely, moving to Greece to become an olive farmer. He expressed that he wasn't attempting to comment on AI but was compelled into the debate when people began referring to "Storm" as a video AI couldn't replicate. Tech experts argued that AI couldn't produce such a video, but AI creators soon managed to do so, prompting Gavras to reject a few AI companies seeking licensing rights to his work.

He expressed concern over an emerging economic model that he and his collaborators weren't prepared to embrace.

Despite AI's ability to mimic elements of the video, Gavras maintains that it still falls short of capturing the originality and human essence present in the original. AI struggles to replicate the "swagger of Yung Lean," who exudes a "dangerous baby" aura, and the imperfections inherent in humanity that Gavras finds compelling.

Gavras noted that even as AI-generated versions of his work become more prevalent online, AI still lacks the capacity to create something with the same originality or emotional depth as the original. The director is not alone in expressing concerns over AI's impact on creative work; other prominent Hollywood directors, such as Guillermo del Toro and Tim Burton, have similarly raised worries about AI's potential to stifle future filmmakers' learning opportunities and rob art of its humanity.