BuzzFeed licenses Good Advice Cupcake to Amazon for AI-animated series, creator furious

Author and illustrator Loryn Brantz never imagined her viral Good Advice Cupcake character, created in 2017, would become the center of an IP dispute involving BuzzFeed, Amazon's Prime Video, and generative AI. This week, Brantz took to Instagram to condemn BuzzFeed's decision to license the character (nicknamed Cuppy) to Prime Video for a series called Cupcake & Friends, developed using AI tools under the GenAI Creators' Fund—a joint initiative of Amazon Web Services and Amazon MGM Studios. The show is one of three AI-animated series greenlit through the fund. Brantz, who left BuzzFeed in 2023 to work with Ms. Rachel, says she was assured the company would not continue the character without her. “This is an assault on artists everywhere,” she wrote, calling it a “soulless AI puppet.”

BuzzFeed maintains it owns the IP outright. A spokesperson stated: “BuzzFeed owns the Cuppy IP, not Loryn, who is a former employee... BuzzFeed Studios is excited to use new technology to bring a dormant library series off the shelf.” Jonah Peretti, president of BuzzFeed AI, argued that human creativity remains at the core, with AI used only as a tool. The controversy highlights the growing tension between creators and media companies eager to monetize back catalogs with generative AI. Brantz originally created the Good Advice Cupcake for a children's book pitch; after a Disney imprint passed, she turned it into a popular webcomic. BuzzFeed later produced eight episodes of a webseries in 2019. Now, with AI stepping in, Brantz fears a precedent that undermines the role of original artists.