Fake movie posters with Disney logos force Microsoft to alter Bing Image Creator

Enlarge / Social media influencers such as merlinthesuffolkiggy/Instagram, have used Microsoft’s Bing Image Generator, right, to create movie poster illustrations in the style of Disney originals, left (credit: Disney)

Microsoft has tweaked its artificial intelligence image generator tool after concerns were raised over a viral social media trend where users created realistic Disney film posters of their dogs, highlighting broader copyright issues in the industry.

Disney’s logo was visible in illustrations made by Microsoft’s Bing Image Creator, which were then posted to TikTok and Instagram. The pictures featured people’s pets in the style of posters made by Disney’s Pixar studio, leading influencers to encourage others to prompt the artificial intelligence tool to generate their own versions.

After concerns were raised, the term “Disney” was blocked from being entered into the image generator, and users were shown a screen which said the prompt—the search terms used to guide the AI—was against its policies. One person familiar with Disney’s approach suggested the media giant had reported its concerns about copyright or intellectual property infringement.