NBA star James Harden shared an AI video recapping his career, claiming the generative model is “fire.” Said video gets his own name wrong, misspells the NBA, and shows him shooting with the wrong hand.
Cavs starter Harden is no stranger to promotional deals, but his latest is making him the subject of ridicule across social media. The 36-year-old veteran is reported to have inked a deal with Utopai Studios, and as part of the deal, he’s shared a career recap made using the generative model.
Article continues after ad
“My journey, told in a whole new way,” he shared on Instagram in a now edited post that simply says “Utopai’s new model is [fire emoji].”
The 69-second video in question shows a young Harden progressing into the MVP-caliber pro we’ve seen on the courts for years now. However, it gets even the most basic details, like his name, incorrect.
James Harden’s AI video slammed on social media
While intending to serve as a Pixar-esque animated recap of his journey, the video instead detracts with its clunky details. Chief among them is his name on the back of his jersey.
Article continues after ad
Article continues after ad
Rather than reading ‘Harden,’ as Harden’s jersey should, it bizarrely has the name ‘Uno’ in one frame, then ‘Piufiis’ in another. As far as we can tell, there’s never been an NBA player with either of these surnames.
Similarly, rather than being called the NBA Draft, like it is in real life, the AI model presents it as the ONA Dran.
Text is one thing, but the video in motion doesn’t do much better. In one sequence, a lot happens. In the foreground, Harden goes for a layup, only for the ball to completely vanish. Moments later, it reappears with another player. Meanwhile, in the background, two players can be seen morphing into one. All the while, there’s only ever one set of jerseys on the court.
Article continues after ad
Another detail that’s been picked apart online is Harden’s shooting style. There are thousands of hours of footage to scrub to show Harden’s dominant hand. Here, it’s incorrect.
Article continues after ad
James Harden AI video
As you might expect, Harden’s backing of the video has led to a wave of backlash and ridicule. Some joke that he’s wealthy enough to simply hire a human being if he wanted a Pixar-quality retrospective, saying “You rich bro, stop this,” and “Multi-millionaire making AI videos.”
Article continues after ad
“Cleveland is home to so many talented artists, and it would’ve been great if he worked with them instead,” one viewer said in response.
“AI slop being pushed by my team’s starting PG,” another said with a broken heart emoji.
“When it showed the back of the jersey and said Pifuiis, I knew it was real and true.”
The video has amassed millions of views across Haren’s social media accounts, though there’s been no comment in light of the criticism.
Article continues after ad