Loryn Brantz, the original creator of the popular cartoon character Cuppy, is facing an intellectual property dispute after Amazon announced plans to develop an AI-animated TV series featuring her character. The project, titled *Cupcake & Friends*, is one of three animated shows greenlit through Amazon’s GenAI Creators’ Fund, a joint initiative of Amazon Web Services and Amazon MGM Studios. Brantz, who previously worked at BuzzFeed, expressed outrage over the use of AI to animate her character, calling it an 'assault on artists everywhere.' She accused BuzzFeed and Amazon of turning her character into a 'soulless AI puppet.' Brantz created Cuppy in 2014 for a children’s book pitch and later developed it into internet comics. BuzzFeed acquired the rights to the character and produced eight episodes of a web series featuring Cuppy. However, Brantz claims she never signed a contract allowing BuzzFeed to use AI to continue the character’s development. She left BuzzFeed in 2023 and continues to license her own character for her content, including a Good Advice Cupcake page with over 2 million followers. BuzzFeed maintains that it owns the Cuppy IP and is using AI to revitalize the character. In a statement, Jonah Peretti, president of BuzzFeed AI, said the company had assured Brantz that human creativity would remain central to the project, with AI used as a tool to aid the process. However, Brantz insists she was not consulted about the project and was only informed after she threatened to make a public scene. *Source: [wired](https://www.wired.com/story/story/amazon-is-making-an-ai-animated-good-advice-cupcake-tv-show-its-original-creator-is-furious/)*