Fox Nation is catching a lot of flak online over the AI-generated show, Houdini: Back from the Dead. The three-part series debuted on October 14. which brought Harry Houdini, the illusionist, back to life before the 100th anniversary of his death on October 31, 1926.
Houdini: Back from the Dead follows the illusionist’s life through his own ‘words’, focusing on a childhood marred by a violent accident and strained relations with his family, to the daring feats he performed for audiences.
The AI-generated persona of Houdini appears like a documentary subject answering questions about the illusionist’s life to a ‘camera’.
Houdini: Back from the Dead marks the larger Fox News banner’s first foray into fully AI-generated content, which has remained controversial. Lauren Petterson, president of Fox Nation, the Fox News streaming service, said this show represented “new creative ground by using emerging technology to bring one of history’s most fascinating figures to life for a modern audience.”
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“We’re proud to showcase a new form of historical storytelling that allows viewers to experience Houdini’s remarkable life in his own words, while remaining rooted in extensive research and historical accuracy,” she said, as per Variety. However, not all viewers have felt the same way about Houdini: Back from the Dead.
Fox Nation’s Houdini: Back from the Dead panned online
Many online criticized Fox Nation’s new Houdini show. “Fox abusing Ai for everything is so on-brand, its not even funny. Whole Houdini series Ai generated. Yandy Diaz Ai generated. They have no shame,” one wrote.
Another added “no fox i do not want to watch the ai harry houdini thing.” Yet another said “What would the real Houdini think of this clap-trap necromancy I’m seeing on Fox right now?”. One person also called it ‘AI Houdini slop’ and criticized Fox for promoting the same.
You can watch the trailer here.
How much of Houdini: Back from the Dead uses AI
Houdini: Back from the Dead has been produced by Red Rock Films. Over 400 licensed photographs and archival footage was used to make the AI-generated show. While human actors served as stand-ins for historical characters, the production team used AI to transform them into figures from Houdini’s life – like his wife Bess, his mother, brother, friends, and more.
Humans wrote the script to the show, taking information from diaries, books, and letters. Historical points were verified by experts and research. The voice of the characters have been a mix of human and AI-generated voices.