Ever since the release of AI video generator Google Veo 3, there has been an avalanche of novel videos making use of the cutting-edge technology; bringing bible influencers to life and even an AI ad ran on the NBA Finals.
But the latest trend social media users may have noticed filling their algorithm is vlogging stormtroopers. The faceless soldiers who were stripped of personalities in the original movies have been given a new lease of life thanks to AI video technology.
An entire Instagram page called “stormtroopervlogs” has been set up that has already attracted well over 300,000 followers. As Game Rant reports, the videos mainly focus on a couple of stormtroppers with one character called “Greg” providing much of the entertainment thanks to his ineptitude.
“Unironically would watch an official series of this,” writes a user beneath one of the posts.
Meanwhile, an AI YouTube channel called “demonflyingfox” riffed on the recent protests in Los Angeles by creating a video showing stormtroopers arriving in the city to help keep the peace.
While there are consistency issues in the videos, the AI clips — which are created by text prompts — allow for creative projects and novel entertainment. However, this latest Google Veo 3 trend must surely raise eyebrows over at Disney, which holds the rights to Star Wars, since it just filed a joint lawsuit along with Universal against the AI image generator Midjourney for infringing copyright.
The suit specifically mentions that Midjourney can make unauthorized reproductions of Disney characters, including Darth Vader — the stormtroopers’ field commander. The first major AI copyright trial is currently underway in London between Stability AI and Getty Images. The latter accuses the former of taking hundreds of thousands of photos from its vast archive and using them to build products.
