Let’s start here:

Earlier this week, AI filmmaker David Blagojevic shared a slick, moody spec KFC ad on LinkedIn & Instagram, proudly outlining his process. He explained it as a careful, analog-first (“pen & paper sketches for the storyboard”) creative exploration using AI tools like Suno and generative video engines, an impressive, polished showcase of AI-powered ad-making.

People applauded. And then, someone pointed out a major problem.

It wasn't original at all.

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In fact, Blagojevic’s KFC video directly copied several shots from an existing, traditionally made KFC ad by filmmaker Joris Noordenbos. Joris detailed on IG exactly how closely each shot matched: from the framing, pacing, even the precise timing of camera movements. Blagojevic hadn’t "crafted" anything—he had fed another filmmaker’s work directly into AI tools and presented the output as his own thoughtful creativity.

Of course, it’s important to remember that the AI didn’t make this decision. David did. But this sort of thing isn’t doing AI art or AI artists any favors.

A symptom of a larger problem

Last week, a viral “Studio Ghibli-style” remake of Lord of the Rings flooded everyone’s feeds. AI filmmaker PJ Ace recut scenes from Peter Jackson’s iconic film using OpenAI’s 4o Image Generation tool + Kling to overlay Miyazaki’s iconic animation style. Millions clicked & so did I.

It was cool to see this entire video redone Ghibli-style but millions reacted negatively, blasting it as shallow clickbait. The backlash was intense, immediate, and predictable.

I’m not knocking PJ for trying something uniquely interesting as an experiment. We should see what these AI tools are capable of and test them in fascinating ways.

But it’s becoming increasingly clear that a significant amount of AI-driven content is designed primarily to chase viral attention rather than explore genuine creativity.

When views and likes become the primary measure of value, creativity gets warped into copying proven aesthetics, proven shots, proven IP. And it’s a self-fulfilling loop: the angrier people get, the more attention these remakes gather, reinforcing a cycle where copying famous styles and scenes is rewarded.

It feels less like creativity and more like an optimization hack for virality.

How You, The Creative Human, Should Think About AI Tools

This raises the question: What even counts as original anymore? In an era when we have AI tools capable of perfectly remixing any style or format, what does authenticity or creativity look like?

Maybe the trick isn’t about originality in the old-fashioned sense. Instead, it’s about intention. Rather than thinking “How do I copy this popular thing?” perhaps creators, whether they’re filmmakers, artists, or storytellers, need to think, “What am I trying to say here? Why does this matter to me?”

Look at the work of AI artist Paul Trillo. Recently, Paul and his team collaborated closely with the musician Cuco, using AI to express deeply personal and original creative visions. This wasn’t about imitation but instead thoughtfully enhancing and re-imagining the art itself. Check the video below to see all the work that went into bring this to life.

Paul isn’t chasing clicks or clout. Instead, he’s leveraging AI tools as a way to deepen emotional resonance, perspective, and storytelling, demonstrating a powerful alternative to the viral optimization we’ve become accustomed to. And that’s the real potential we should chase.

The creative race right now feels dangerously skewed toward "going viral." AI, optimized for generating quick and attention-grabbing outputs, naturally pushes us in that direction. Heck, I’m guilty of this myself.

But what if we resisted this push, using AI instead to elevate personal expression, deeper narratives, and real human creativity?

Because here's the uncomfortable truth: Just because something goes viral doesn’t make it meaningful. If we only create to optimize clicks, our work—and our culture—gets shallower. But if we intentionally use AI as a tool to amplify what we genuinely want to express, maybe we can shift this tide.

The big question remains: How do we choose which direction we take? And what do we really want AI to help us say?

-Gavin