Mystic Story has found itself under pressure after Billlie’s latest comeback film, "Cartography of the Unconscious", drew accusations that its visual language echoed the French short film "Niccolò" and appeared to have been produced with generative AI. The clip, released on 23 April 2026 for the group’s forthcoming album "The Collective Soul and Unconscious: Chapter Two", quickly became a flashpoint among fans who said the animation looked uncomfortably close to another work.

The dispute intensified when "Niccolò" co-director David Florian publicly condemned the teaser, calling out what he described as the misuse of his film. Mystic Story’s chief executive, Jungsu Han, initially pushed back by defending AI as a legitimate creative tool and saying he had no intention of using it simply to reduce costs or sideline artists. But after the criticism continued to mount, he changed course, saying there would be no unnecessary use of AI in Billlie’s future projects or in work for other Mystic Story artists, while also apologising for the distress caused.

The episode lands at a time when the cultural arguments over AI-generated art remain sharply divided. Digital artist Beeple has argued in interviews that AI is not a form of cultural theft and that critics misunderstand how creativity works, while other writers and artists continue to warn that these systems can exploit existing work, blur authorship and weaken respect for human-made art. Those disagreements have already spilled into legal and ethical battles across the creative industries, making even a single comeback film a potential lightning rod.

For Billlie, the controversy is awkwardly timed and likely to linger beyond one deleted post or one belated clarification. The company’s attempt to frame AI as acceptable in principle has run into a more immediate question: whether this particular piece crossed a line in style, originality and credit. According to the report that surfaced the issue, some fans also noted that similar assurances from the company have been heard before, which may explain why the latest pledge has been met with caution rather than relief.

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Source: Noah Wire Services