Kesha Changed Her AI 'Delusional' Cover Art After Being Slammed by Fans
Kesha is officially a free woman creating art on her own terms, and she heard her fans' call when they criticized her for using AI to generate the original cover art for her single 'Delusional.'
Since releasing the song last November, the hitmaker has updated its cover art with a new photo, which aligns with the bubblegum pink dot aesthetic for her upcoming album, PERIOD.
'When making the single art for my song 'Delusional,' I wanted to make the point that it's DELUSIONAL that the world expects artists to continue making art when we are so undervalued,' she wrote on Instagram alongside the new cover art lensed by Brendan Walter.
She continued, 'I tried to echo my ideas in the form of a political single cover. I've realized that living in alignment with my integrity is more important than proving a point. So I've decided to change the cover art for this song. She's one of my favorites💕.'
In the new single artwork, the 'BOY CRAZY.' singer is seen screaming as she's tied to a chair with black zip-ties.
The original cover art featured a pile of fake Hermés Birkin bags piled on top of each other, and ost of them included the word 'Delusional' spray-painted with black paint. At the time, fans called Kesha out for utilizing AI to create her initial vision.
'The AI-generated nature of the artwork itself can be seen as a commentary on artificiality and the loss of authenticity. This aligns with the theme of delusion, where perceptions are often skewed and detached from reality. . . .also ai lol,' one fan wrote.
Another added, 'I honestly adore you so much - your bravery, your artistry; I think you're incredible. But I'm pleeeeeeading with you to redo this cover. You know as well as anyone that artists need to be paid for their work. Please do not use AI 💖💖💖.'
As she posted her new cover, Kesha highlighted the 'incredible team of humans' who came together to create it. She added, 'Thanks to my crew for helping me live out here in my highest and cuntiest potential.'
She then encouraged fans to use AI as a tool rather than a replacement for certain human-made tasks. 'AI is a pandoras box that we as a society have collectively opened, and I think it's important that we keep human ramifications in mind as we learn how to use it as a tool and not as a replacement,' she said as she revealed she was 'healing in real time.'

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
AI is controversial in Hollywood. For China's film business, it's no holds barred
Hollywood's relationship with artificial intelligence is fraught, as studios balance the need to cut costs with growing concerns from actors, directors and crew members. But in China, efforts to use AI in entertainment are taking a more no-holds-barred approach. The China Film Foundation, a nonprofit fund under the Chinese government, plans to use AI to revitalize 100 kung fu classics including "Police Story," "Once Upon a Time in China" and "Fist of Fury," featuring Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Bruce Lee, respectively. The foundation said it will partner with businesses including Shanghai Canxing Culture & Media Co., which will license 100 Hong Kong films to AI companies to reintroduce those movies to younger audiences globally. The foundation said there are opportunities to use AI to tell those stories through animation, for example. There are plans to release an animated version of director John Woo's 1986 film "A Better Tomorrow" that uses AI to "reinterpret" Woo's "signature visual language," according to an English transcript of the announcement. "By empowering cultural storytelling with technology, we can breathe new life into the classics and tell China's stories farther and louder," said Zhang Pimin, chairman of the China Film Foundation, at the Shanghai International Film Festival earlier this month. Read more: Inside Google's plan to have Hollywood make AI look less doomsday The project raised eyebrows among U.S. artists, many of whom are deeply wary of the use of AI in creative pursuits. The Directors Guild of America said AI is a creative tool that should only be used to enhance the creative storytelling process and "it should never be used retroactively to distort or destroy a filmmaker's artistic work." 'The DGA strongly opposes the use of AI or any other technology to mutilate a film or to alter a director's vision," the DGA said in a statement. "The Guild has a longstanding history of opposing such alterations on issues like colorization or sanitization of films to eliminate so-called 'objectionable content', or other changes that fundamentally alter a film's original style, meaning, and substance." The project highlights widely divergent views on AI's potential to reshape entertainment as the two countries compete for dominance in the highly competitive AI space. In the U.S., much of the traditional entertainment industry has taken a tepid view of generative AI, due to concerns over protecting intellectual property and labor relations. While some Hollywood studios such as Lionsgate and Blumhouse have collaborated with AI companies, others have been reluctant to announce partnerships at the risk of offending talent that have voiced concerns over how AI could be used to alter their digital likeness without adequate compensation. But other countries like China have fewer guardrails, which has led to more experimentation of the technology by entertainment companies. Many people in China embrace AI, with 83% feeling confident that AI systems are designed to act in the best interest of society, much higher than the U.S. where it's 37%, according to a survey from the United Nations Development Program. The foundation's announcement came as a surprise to Bruce Lee Enterprises, which oversees legal usage of Lee's likeness in creative works. Bruce Lee's family was "previously unaware of this development and is currently gathering information," a spokesperson said. Woo, in a written statement, said he hadn't heard from the foundation about the AI remake, noting that the rights to "A Better Tomorrow" have changed hands several times. 'I wasn't really involved in the project because I'm not very familiar with AI technology," Woo said in a statement to The Times. "However, I'm very curious about the outcome and the effect it might have on my original film." David Chi, who represents the China Film Foundation's Special Fund for Film and Urban Development, said in an interview that Chan is aware of the project and he has plans to talk with Chan's team. A representative of Chan's did not respond to a request for comment. "We do need to talk ... very specifically how we're using animated or AI existing technology, and how that would combine with his image rights and business rights," Chi said. Chi did not have an immediate response to the DGA, Bruce Lee Enterprises and Woo's statements. AI is already used in China for script development, content moderation and recommendations and translation. In postproduction, AI has reduced the time to complete visual effects work from days to hours, said He Tao, an official with the National Radio and Television Administration's research center, during remarks at the festival. "Across government agencies, content platforms, and production institutions, the enthusiasm to adopt and integrate AI has never been stronger," He said. Read more: Hollywood writers say AI is ripping off their work. They want studios to sue During the project's announcement, supporters touted the opportunity AI will bring to China to further its cultural message globally and generate new work for creatives. At the same time, they touted AI's disruption of the filmmaking process, saying the "A Better Tomorrow" remake was completed with just 30 people, significantly fewer than a typical animated project. China is a "more brutal society in that sense," said Eric Harwit, professor of Asian studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. "If somebody loses their job because artificial intelligence is taking over, well, that's just the cost of China's moving forward. They don't have that kind of regret about people losing jobs and there are less opportunities for organized protest against the Chinese government." Hollywood guilds such as SAG-AFTRA have been outspoken about the harm AI could have on jobs and have fought for protections against AI in contracts in TV shows, films and video games. The unions have also pushed state and federal legislators to create laws that would give people more protections against deep fakes, or videos manipulated to show a person endorsing an idea or product that they don't actually support. There is no equivalent of that in China. "You don't have those freestanding labor organizations, so they don't have that kind of clout to protest against the Chinese using artificial intelligence in a way that might reduce their job opportunities or lead to layoffs in the sector," Harwit added. U.S. studios are also going to court to challenge the ways AI companies train their models on copyrighted materials. Earlier this month, Walt Disney Co. and Universal Pictures sued AI startup Midjourney, alleging it uses technology to generate images that copy the studios' famous characters, including Yoda and Shrek. Read more: Jamie Lee Curtis just wanted an AI ad removed, not to become the 'poster child of internet fakery' In China, officials involved in the project to remaster kung fu films said they were eager to work with AI companies. They said that AI will be used to add "stunning realism" to the movies. They are planning to build "immersive viewing experiences" such as walking into a bamboo forest duel and "feeling the philosophy of movement and stillness." In areas such as animation, new environments could be created with AI, Chi said. "We are offering full access to our IP, platform, and adaptation rights to partners worldwide — with the goal of delivering richer, more diverse, and high-quality AI enhanced film works to global audiences," said Tian Ming, chairman of Shanghai Canxing Culture & Media Co. in his remarks earlier this month. Tian said there is no revenue-sharing cap and it is allocating about $14 million to co-invest in selected projects and share in the returns. The kung fu revitalization efforts will extend into other areas, including the creation of a martial arts video game. Read more: Two-minute TV shows have taken over China. Can they take over the world? Industry observers said China is wise to go back to its well of popular martial arts classics out of Hong Kong, which have inspired U.S. action movies for decades. There's also not as much risk involved for China, said Simon Pulman, a partner at law firm Pryor Cashman. "They've got very little to lose by doing this," Pulman said. "If it can potentially enhance the value of those movies, there's very little downside for them." China's film industry has grown significantly compared to decades ago, boosted by the proliferation of movie theaters, including Imax screens, in the country. In the past, China's box office relied heavily on U.S. productions like movies from the "Fast & Furious" and Marvel franchises, but now local movies dominate the market. The Chinese animated movie "Ne Zha 2" grossed $2.2 billion at the box office globally. But those Chinese productions generally don't draw large U.S. audiences when they're released in the States. The classic martial arts movies, however, have a global following and enduring legacy. "People love martial arts movies, because action travels," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. "It doesn't matter what language it's in, if you have a great action sequence and great fighting sequences." Sign up for our Wide Shot newsletter to get the latest entertainment business news, analysis and insights. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.


Fast Company
3 hours ago
- Fast Company
Is this Hollywood's moment of AI reckoning?
For some in Hollywood, as Silicon Valley's AI models have become impossible to ignore, it's better to have a seat at the table as these new technologies emerge, rather than sitting back and letting the tech titans take full control. This, at least, is the impetus behind Asteria, the generative AI studio cofounded by the filmmaking couple of Bryn Mooser and Natasha Lyonne, who promote their company as using 'ethical' AI. Lyonne has justified her embrace of the technology by explaining: 'It's better to get your hands dirty than pretend it's not happening.' The company has faced some backlash, both because Lyonne (tastelessly, her detractors would argue) claimed the late David Lynch had endorsed AI, and because its flagship model is proprietary—meaning we have no way to verify that it is indeed trained only on licensed material (as Lyonne and co. say it is). Meanwhile, James Cameron is on Stability AI's board, and has expressed his hope for using AI to make blockbuster filmmaking cheaper. Jason Blum's Blumhouse Productions has partnered with Meta for AI testing and chatbots. Lionsgate signed a deal with Runway, an AI startup valued at $3 billion, to let the company train its model on the studio's 20,000+ films and TV series; Runway also signed a deal with AMC. This embrace of AI, though, puts the James Camerons and Natasha Lyonnes of the world at odds with industry peers who are opting to push back on these would-be robot overlords before they take over.


The Verge
4 hours ago
- The Verge
Spotify will let users personalize the genre of Discover Weekly playlists
Spotify is adding new personalization features to Discover Weekly, the popular and influential playlist streamed by millions of users. The regularly updated playlist will now have buttons for genres like pop, R&B, and funk at the top, allowing users to tell Spotify what they want more of. The Discover Weekly playlist is one of the more noteworthy things Spotify has introduced: the company says songs on the playlist have been streamed more than 100 billion times. The weekly mixtape — generated via Spotify algorithms — promised to introduce users to new music that they might enjoy, pulling from listener data. But more recently, there have been complaints that Discover Weekly playlists, meant for finding new music, were spitting out the same songs, and that the platform's systems weren't accurately classifying genres. (Spotify told Business Insider in May that it had updated genre accuracy and the Discover Weekly recommendation algorithm.) In addition to the genre options, the Discover Weekly playlist is getting a refreshed look with different cover art. Spotify reshaped how people listen to music, prioritizing the playlist over the album or even the artist themselves: playlists became a battleground for labels and artists who wanted exposure. In the last few years, the music platform has taken personalization even further, tailoring selections to the individual user. The company has introduced features like an AI-powered 'DJ,' an AI text-to-playlist builder tool, and even a fake AI podcast with fake AI hosts that discuss users' listening habits. The ability to more closely guide the Discover Weekly offerings signals that hyper-personalization remains a priority — and perhaps that Spotify is aware of some of the user dissatisfaction.