‘Hire a damn artist’: Los Angeles magazine gets swift backlash for AI cover that aimed to be subversive

AI-generated images are already all over the internet, and now magazines are getting in on the act, too. Los Angeles magazine recently released its special election issue, featuring mayoral candidates Nithya Raman and Spencer Pratt posing for the cover. The choice seems obvious—local political candidates for an election issue—except the cover did not actually feature Raman and Pratt, but rather AI-generated versions of them. As a whole, the cover looks like an obvious AI-generated collage, with Raman leaning into Pratt, and the flag of Ghana next to a burning landscape of Los Angeles in the background. “The cover is fake. The crisis is real,” L.A. magazine said of the cover on X, aiming to paint the image as a deliberate and assertive editorial decision. “Whether you love it, hate it, question it, or can’t stop looking at it… this is the L.A. we’re living in,” the publication continued. Still, many observers weren’t convinced—or happy. “Every time someone tries to use AI in a subversive or countercultural or ‘high brow’ way it looks the exact same as facebook slop,” content creator Matt Bernstein said in a response on X, adding “hire a damn artist.” Many echoed the sentiment, calling on the publication to hire humans to design the magazine’s visuals. “Why use AI? real pictures of these people exist. a graphic designer could’ve done this cover relatively quickly. this type of shit is why people don’t fuck with LA mag,” a user said on X. Another one added, “It’s funny because by using these AI pictures that don’t look like either of candidates, it seems like the crisis is as manufactured as the cover.” According to Page Six Hollywood, the man behind the cover is none other than the magazine’s co-owner, defense attorney Mark Geragos, who bought the media outlet in 2022. Staffers in editorial reportedly pushed back against the idea of using AI for the cover.