AI, Arts & Creativity News — 2026-10-14 (Wed)

Overview

Epic Games' move toward an "AI first" approach to development drew coverage from several outlets, including BBC, TechSpot and Japan's AUTOMATON. In music, Deezer will let users hide or filter AI-generated music, reported by three trade outlets. Hollywood, China's screen industry and a veteran game creator were each described as adopting AI tools in production.

Art and image generation

- Fast Company published an interactive visual arguing that generative art began in a cave (Fast Company). - K-ARTNOW covered the exhibition "Lynn Hershman Leeson: First Person Plural," presenting the media art pioneer as someone who explored technology and human identity long before AI became part of everyday life (K-ARTNOW). - A 36 Kr headline says ByteDance "Fully Dominates the AI Gaming Track" with millions of tokens staked (36 Kr).

Music

- Deezer will let users block AI-generated music from search results (Music Business Worldwide, Music Ally, Music Week). - Music Ally also reported that Playhead generates signal chains for producers (Music Ally). - A Journal of Musical Things wrote that a streaming music service "gets it right" on AI-generated music, apparently referring to Deezer's move (A Journal of Musical Things). - Rocketship launched an AI music audience platform (Bong Mines Entertainment).

Film, video and animation

- Variety reported that Hollywood is embracing AI tools despite fears of doom (Variety). - Disney is circling Character.ai as the chatbot company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy (The Hollywood Reporter). - A Transformer Substack piece argues that "Artificial" is not the AI film we deserve (Transformer | Substack). - MakeUseOf reported that the most influential AI filmmaker is coming to the big screen and that this could change everything (MakeUseOf).

Design and architecture

- Blueprints AI uses generative AI to automate building plans and construction documentation (Konsulteer).

Games

- Epic Games, maker of Fortnite, confirmed a "huge pivot" toward using AI (BBC). - TechSpot reported that Epic's Disney shooter is going "AI first," whether developers like it or not (TechSpot). - WN Hub reported that Epic Games decided to actively use AI in development, under the headline "No More Handwritten Code" (WN Hub). - Yuji Horii, creator of Dragon Quest, has a new AI-generated game (Polygon.com). A separate headline says Horii built the AI-powered mystery game "Komiya" in just 30 minutes (inkl). 【Museums, exhibitions and cultural institutions】 - A report says the AI logo of the Great Raven Renaissance Festival contradicts its handmade art promise (1077 WRKR).

Creative practice and creators

- iChongqing reported that AI is rewriting China's screen industry, from the Monkey King's romance to AI "stars" (iChongqing). - Mashable traced the journey of "GG EZ" from AI song to internet obsession (Mashable). - Suno v6, described as AI-driven music generation, was reported (Dynamic Business). - Zirva AI launched Mirage, a new AI-powered creative software for visual content creation (Issuewire.com).

Japan: art, creativity and AI

- Actress Ryo Tamaki's behind-the-scenes special makeup for the TV drama VIVANT was so realistic that it was posted as an AI illustration. Followers reacted with comments about the look being both painful and sensual, and beautiful even with scars (Chunichi Shimbun Web). - The head of Epic Games, which makes Unreal Engine, declared full use of generative AI in game development, covering both code and art, under an "AI first" approach (AUTOMATON). - The event "AI MUSIC VIDEO WAVE 2026," on AI, music and video, was announced, with a former Avex director and active artists as judges (PR TIMES).

Statements by key figures

No notable developments. 【Integrated analysis: what is happening】 The headlines show a split between production and audience sides. On the production side, AI use is described as a default rather than a trial in several places at once: Epic Games across code and art (BBC, TechSpot, WN Hub, AUTOMATON), Hollywood tools (Variety), China's screen industry (iChongqing), Horii's game (Polygon.com, inkl) and building documentation (Konsulteer). On the audience and distribution side, the response is selection and labeling. Deezer lets users hide AI music (Music Business Worldwide, Music Ally, Music Week), and the Great Raven Renaissance Festival's AI logo was criticized as contradicting its handmade promise (1077 WRKR). This suggests that adoption by makers is no longer the main question. Whether audiences can see and choose what is AI-made appears to be becoming a product feature and a reputational issue.

Two further points may change a reader's judgment. First, AI-made songs are reaching mass audiences, as the "GG EZ" case and the Suno v6 coverage indicate (Mashable, Dynamic Business), which is likely to increase pressure on platforms to offer filters. Second, historical framing from Fast Company and K-ARTNOW places machine-assisted art in a longer line of practice, so the current debate is partly about disclosure and context rather than novelty alone (Fast Company, K-ARTNOW). The Character.ai bankruptcy filing alongside Disney's interest shows that creative AI products and large rights holders are being linked in the same news cycle (The Hollywood Reporter).

What to watch

- Whether other streaming services follow Deezer in offering user-side filters for AI-generated music, which would suggest labeling is becoming an industry norm. - How Epic Games' "AI first" direction plays out inside its teams and shipped products, since headlines say it applies "whether developers like it or not" (TechSpot). - Whether cultural institutions and event organizers face more audience pushback over AI-made visuals, as in the Great Raven Renaissance Festival case (1077 WRKR).