Lady Gaga is no stranger to AI related controversies. Last year the pop star faced claims that the Tim Burton-directed music video to her song, The Dead Dance, featured AI generated visuals. But rather than feeling like a witch hunt, this latest controversy seems to indicate a shift in public perception of AI.
Gaga's 'Mayhem Requiem' concert film will be streaming exclusively on Apple Music from this week. To announce the release, Apple Music posted a visual on social media depicting Gaga's face rendered in the form of a burning wax candle. It's a striking visual, but all anyone can talk about is whether or not it was made with AI.
While Apple and Lady Gaga have neither confirmed nor denied the claims, the hallmarks of AI are all there. From the overly polished look to the soft focus, the image screams "artificially generated". At the very least, it looks like a CGI render. Which isn't exactly what we'd expect from Gaga, or indeed Apple.
"Using AI to promote one of the most creative pop stars we’ve ever had is an insult, quite frankly," one X user comments, while another adds, "Even Apple using stolen work, truly wasn't expecting that".
This woman has had literal sculptures made for her and you mean to tell me she’s using AI to get her face on a candle?! https://t.co/9lLiYM8vjv pic.twitter.com/OHMEPoNkazMay 12, 2026
She has the money to hire real artists and instead chose to use ai slop? This is very disappointing gaga https://t.co/bHur5SULAvMay 12, 2026
But perhaps the most striking thing here is the response. The vitriol aimed at a potentially AI-generated image isn't new. But audiences are clearly becoming much more equipped to spot AI.
"Crazy how ai is recalibrating consumer taste levels in real time," another user comments. "Five years ago I would’ve thought this was so cool but now it immediately looks like cheap shit".
