Taylor Swift on stage in Paris last year

Taylor Swift fans have been voicing their upset after the singer appeared to use generative AI in videos to promote her new album The Life Of A Showgirl.

Last week, following her latest musical release, the Grammy winner hid orange “doors” in major cities all over the world, emblazoned with QR codes which, when scanned, would take fans to special videos inspired by her new songs.

However, after these clips were then shared online, Swifties began picking up on irregularities and inconsistencies in the videos, leading them to suspect they were created using generative AI.

In the last year, Taylor has spoken about her “fears around AI”, most notably when a fake video of her was circulated by Donald Trump’s camp in which she appeared to endorse him for president, prompting her to voice her support for Kamala Harris in last year’s election instead.

Because of this, some fans were surprised to hear her team had allegedly used it in these videos, with many sharing their belief that AI goes against what Taylor has stood for in terms of artists having ownership over their work, as generative AI mimics existing art from other creators.

Others also pointed out the environmental impact of generative AI, while noting that an artist of Taylor’s stature (and, indeed, wealth) could have afforded to pay a graphic designer rather than using AI.

Dear @taylornation13

We expected a decent album promo but we noticed that the promotion on cities were made by A.I

A.I has a large impact on the environment and wildlife because of its LARGE water consumption and more

Please learn better next time.
#SwiftiesAgainstAIpic.twitter.com/Kj0g7ajWKH