‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ Hired Human Artist for Viral AI Meme, Sparking Online Reactions
When ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ premiered, many viewers believed that a quick-cut meme featuring Miranda Priestley as a fast-food worker was just another example of AI-generated content.
However, it turns out the image was actually hand-painted by professional illustrator Alexis Franklin. This revelation sparked a wave of emotional responses online, reflecting not only on the film but also on the current state of creative labor.
The sequel begins with Runway Magazine facing backlash due to a disastrous editorial choice, leading to a flurry of memes and mockery directed at editor-in-chief Miranda Priestley. One notable in-film post portrays Streep’s character as a fast-food employee, captioned “Would you like some lies with that?” Although the meme was on screen for just a moment, its convincing appearance led many to interpret it as an intentional nod to AI-generated content, fitting into the film’s broader satire of modern media.
On the film’s release day, Franklin revealed on Instagram that she was the creator of the image, sharing a time-lapse video of her painting process. She described the commission as “nothing but fun” and did not apologize for portraying the fictional fashion icon in a less-than-flattering light.
In an interview with NBC News, Franklin explained that while she aimed for a deliberately plastic quality in the image, mimicking AI was never her goal. Instead, she sought to evoke the photoshopped meme aesthetic popular in the early 2010s.
Franklin later mentioned on X that she received a flood of comments expressing relief that the meme was created by a real artist, using the moment to advocate for productions to acknowledge and celebrate the artists they hire. While the response was positive, it also carried an unmistakable sense of fatigue. One fan bluntly noted that “the bar is truly in hell” when simply opting for a human artist over AI is enough to earn praise.
Despite sharing a time-lapse of her process and having a public portfolio predating the rise of AI image tools, Franklin has faced accusations questioning the authenticity of her painting. She addressed this issue, noting that the heightened scrutiny around AI has led to “regular human micro-errors” in artwork being mistaken for signs of artificial generation, leaving the solution to this dilemma unclear.
This decision has quickly become emblematic of the film’s broader themes, which explore media industries grappling with automation, algorithmic culture, and the decline of print. It’s ironic that a film about a fashion magazine striving for relevance in a digital era made its most discussed creative statement through a single hand-painted image that many assumed was machine-generated.
‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ debuted to impressive box office numbers, raking in $77 million domestically and over $233 million worldwide during its opening weekend. The film features returning stars Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci, alongside newcomers Lady Gaga, Lucy Liu, and Kenneth Branagh. While the film clearly resonates with audiences, this particular discussion suggests it may connect for reasons its marketing team never anticipated.
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