![Apple's Tim Cook introduces the new iPad Pro during a media event at the Bill Graham Civic ... [+] Auditorium Wednesday morning, Sept. 9, 2015, in Sa](https://imageio.forbes.com/specials-images/imageserve/663d1812b1cbed9acdc8f46e/0x0.jpg?format=jpg&height=900&width=1600&fit=bounds "The Backlash Against Apple’s New iPad Pro Ad, Explained")
The Backlash Against Apple’s New iPad Pro Ad, Explained
Apple's Tim Cook introduces the new iPad Pro during a media event at the Bill Graham Civic ... [+] Auditorium Wednesday morning, Sept. 9, 2015, in San Francisco, Calif.
Apple sparked online outrage after releasing an ad for the new iPad Pro, which unintentionally mirrored the fierce controversy around generative AI in the arts.
Apple CEO Tim Cook posted the ad on X (Twitter) with the breezy caption, “Just imagine all the things it’ll be used to create.”
Many working creatives have been horrified by the rise of generative AI, with the technology viewed as diminishing the value of human labor, replacing it with cheaper, sloppier AI-generated output.
Artists have seen their work used to train generative AI models without permission or compensation, flattened into machine-made content which threatens their livelihood.
If one wanted to create a visual representation of the fear and anger directed against generative AI, it’s hard to imagine a more accurate depiction than Apple’s new iPad Pro commercial.
