Oscar-winning artist, director, and animator Alberto Mielgo has disputed claims Marathon’s new eight-minute cinematic teaser uses AI.

While the teaser itself debuted several months ago, Mielgo took to Instagram earlier this week to challenge accusations that the cinematic short was created using generative AI.

“I can’t believe we’ve reached a point where I have to clarify this, but here it goes: this is not AI. HELLO,” he wrote (thanks, The Game Post, via Eurogamer).

“Everything you see in this film: paintings, animations, 2D and 3D work, compositing, and renders done with huge team – 155 incredible people and hell of hours, days, months… Yes, our Achilles’ heel: time.”

Mielgo attached several still images, writing: “I truly love this little film.”

Commenting specifically about AI, the director said he had “no idea” about the emerging tech, but added: “But one thing is certain: AI will never take away my (your) urge or joy for making art and painting. That part will never be replaced.

The post closed with “This text was kindly edited with ChatGPT XXX” in parenthesis.

When commenters asked the artist about claims of plagiarism at Bungie, Mielgo responded bluntly at first, suggesting the studio had “accidentally” used the assets, but later deleted these responses.

Yesterday (November 18), we reported that Bungie has settled a copyright lawsuit with a writer who’d alleged the story had lifted elements of Destiny 2’s original storyline from his work.