Think That AI Meme in The Devil Wears Prada 2 Was Machine-Made? A Human Had All the Fun

Here we go again—Hollywood cannot help itself when it comes to AI, and The Devil Wears Prada 2 just waded right into the fray. While people are still screaming at the video game industry for its obsession with artificial intelligence, Tinseltown clearly wants the rest of us to hurry up and get used to it. But in a twist, this time the human touch actually won out.

Wait, Was That Meme Actually AI?

The Devil Wears Prada 2 (yes, there’s a sequel) kicks off with Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep, obviously) having to patch up her reputation after a magazine article goes off the rails. The internet, predictably, eats her alive with GIFs and memes—including a particularly brutal image that reimagines Miranda working behind the counter at a fast-food joint. The gag in the movie is that these social media images are supposedly 'AI-generated.'

Human vs. Machine: The Behind-the-Scenes Story

If you were scratching your head trying to figure out whether any real artists were involved, you’re not alone. Turns out the answer is yes. The artist, Alexis Franklin, was the one who painted that fast-food Miranda image—you might have seen it making the rounds online.

'I got to paint this at the request of [director] David Frankel for "The Devil Wears Prada 2" (it shows up in the movie). Absolutely no disrespect to Queen Meryl, but this is something I would’ve painted in my free time, so when they asked me to do this, it was nothing but fun.'

– Alexis Franklin, Instagram

Franklin even posted a snappy time-lapse of her painting process, which immediately attracted a whole lot of relief from fans. People were at least glad to see an actual human got paid to make the gag, rather than some faceless algorithm. She doubled down on social media, saying:

'I posted this on Instagram yesterday and got flooded with comments of relief that this gag in The Devil Wears Prada 2 was created by an actual human (me), so I figured I’d also post it here because I think these companies should get their flowers when they hire an artist.'

– Alexis Franklin, Twitter

Breaking Down the Confusion

• The film features a joke where Miranda becomes the subject of viral memes supposedly made by AI.
• A particular image—Miranda as a fast-food worker—looked so convincingly 'AI' that people assumed it was.
• In reality, director David Frankel hired Alexis Franklin, a human painter, to do it the old-fashioned way (well, digitally, but with actual human skill).
• Franklin shared the process online, clearing up the confusion and unintentionally starting a conversation about the value of real artists in an AI-hungry industry.

My Two Cents (Since Everyone's Got an Opinion on AI)

Honestly, I was thrown off when I first saw this story—it sounded like another case of Hollywood using human artists to polish up AI messes, which always leaves a bad taste. If that had been the case, this would’ve been a way skeezier headline. Instead, it’s actually weirdly refreshing: the studio needed an 'AI style' image and, instead of taking the shortcut, handed it to someone who could do the job for real. Would be nice if that happened more often.

Look, I’m not out here with pitchforks every time AI tools save a little money or get used for grunt work. But when studios act like you can swap out talent for tech just because it’s cheaper or trendier, that’s where they lose me. This story didn’t cross the line, but I can’t say the same for plenty of others.

Somehow, The Devil Wears Prada 2 managed to read the room. Who knew?

Where do you land on this—should movies just stick with people for making art, or is there a place for AI memes if they’re used responsibly? Let me know in the comments.