From McDonalds’ and Coca-Cola’s Christmas commercials to Catly, ARK: Aquatica, and “slop” becoming Merriam-Webster’s 2025 Word of the Year – one wouldn’t be blamed for assuming that, by now, everyone has gotten the memo: AI-generated visuals do not resonate with mainstream audiences, and almost inevitably result in a product being labeled “AI slop,” relentlessly mocked online, and often deleted soon after.
Said memo, however, seemingly failed to reach TIME magazine and Requiem for a Dream director Darren Aronofsky, who chose to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution and the founding of the United States by unveiling a new short-form series highlighting key moments from 1776, with the caveat being that the series in question is almost entirely generated by AI.

