BuzzFeed Licenses Cartoon Character to Streaming Service for AI-Animated Series

A former BuzzFeed employee who created a cartoon character nearly a decade ago says the company licensed the character to a streaming service for an AI-assisted animated series without her involvement. Loryn Brantz created the character while working at BuzzFeed and later continued to license it from the company after leaving in 2023.

She stated that earlier agreements with the company included assurances that further development of the character would involve her.

The company licensed the character to Prime Video for a series titled Cupcake & Friends. The project is one of three animated shows developed through a joint initiative between Amazon Web Services and Amazon MGM Studios that uses generative AI tools.

Brantz posted on Instagram objecting to the plans and called for a boycott of the company and AI-produced animation. She said the original character was based on her personality and that she would not have agreed to contracts allowing AI-generated versions.

A BuzzFeed spokesperson said the company owns the intellectual property and is using new technology to revive a dormant series. Jonah Peretti, president of BuzzFeed AI, stated that human writers and animators remain central to the project while AI serves as a tool.

Brantz said she contacted Peretti earlier this year after hearing about the project and was offered more details only if she signed a nondisclosure agreement, which she declined. She added that she is exploring legal options.