Instagram post from Loryn Brantz. Text reads, I am horrified and disgusted by BuzzFeed taking my character, The Good Advice Cupcake, and giving it to an Al platform. My time at BuzzFeed was marked by continually being taken advantage of and lied to. They repeatedly assured me in good faith that they would never do anything with Cuppy without my input, yet offered me no legal options, insisting that I would never need them. The news that this character, who is based on my own personality and whom I created as a microphone to spread love and positivity, has been taken and turned into a soulless Al puppet feels like having my intestines pulled out of my body. Somebody leaked the news to me early on that there were talks happening, and I pleaded with the CEO Jonah Peretti directly not to do it. Instead, he tried to talk me into signing an NDA. Obviously, I did not. This is an assault on artists everywhere. I encourage you to boycott BuzzFeed and any Al-produced or adjacent animation.