Who Is 'Princess Jane'? The Janky 'AI Animated Film' Prototype Explained

AI Art still hasn't won over its harshest critics, and the introduction of AI art character Princess Jane has done little for the controversial new genre. In fact, Princess Jane may be the worst offender of "bad AI art" to go viral yet, becoming a meme in the process.

Who Is Princess Jane?

"Princess Jane" is the brainchild of an aspiring AI artist by the name of "Rufus," or @Rufus87078959 on Twitter. On September 2nd, 2023, Rufus replied to a prompt from user @icreatelife asking fellow AI-heads to post some of their work in an effort to get seen on the platform. Rufus, apparently, is working on a full-length, AI-animated, 3D movie about one "Princess Jane." Here's how it looks so far:

Princess Jane gives a harsh stare at the camera, telling us she will do some "tricks." She appears to briefly turn into a jpeg while undergoing the effects of a dissolve filter, while an off-screen audience breaks into uproarious applause. That's it.

How Did Princess Jane Become A Meme?

AI art's harshest critics are ever-ready to pick apart a piece of AI-generated art for flaws indicating the piece lacks "soul," but in this case, many jumped right over the criticism and went straight into joking, as the extremely brief short doesn't exactly constitute a threat to actual animators working in the industry.

YouTube personality Dolan Dark was one of the major reasons the animation became a viral meme, as the creator tweeted one of the more popular of the many, many sarcastic responses the video received on Twitter. He also released a video on YouTube sarcastically hyping up "Princess Jane" as the death of human animation.

Many other social media users joined in on this tenor of mockery, with users joking the video was a real "game changer" for AI animation.

AI still represents a threat in the entertainment industry, as some studio executives are pushing to integrate it into the creation of television shows to cut costs and produce more content, which has made videos like "Princess Jane" become so popular with AI's critics. The idea of a "full AI movie" of this quality helps underscore why many of AI's critics think the technology is a load of baloney.

For more information, check out Princess Jane on Know Your Meme.