Ant-Man star, Evangeline Lilly, has sparked widespread debate online after a strongly worded social media post criticizing the use of human-created artwork in training artificial intelligence systems, while also reacting to recent layoffs at Disney that reportedly affected major creative teams within Marvel.
Lilly, best known for portraying Hope van Dyne (the Wasp) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, questioned the lack of legal protections around artists’ work being used in AI training datasets.
She called for stronger regulations that would, in her words, “remove all human art from the AI bank,” arguing that creative professionals are being exploited by technology companies.
She directly accused tech firms of profiting from artists’ labour without compensation, writing, “Why do they get to steal our brilliance and use it to make executives rich while the artists responsible for feeding their robots go hungry?”
She also described the situation as “disgusting,” urging lawmakers in California to intervene.
The post has been widely shared among illustrators and designers, many of whom have raised concerns about generative AI systems trained on large datasets of human-made work, often without consent or payment to original creators.
In a separate but related message addressing Disney’s restructuring and layoffs, Lilly reacted strongly to reports that around 1,000 employees had been let go across various divisions, including major cuts within Marvel Studios’ visual development teams.
She wrote, “SHAME ON YOU for turning your back on the people who built the power you are now using to throw them away,” directing her criticism at Disney.
Lilly said she verified the layoffs through her friend Andy Park, a concept artist known for creating the original Wasp suit and early visual designs in the Ant-Man franchise.
According to her account, Park confirmed the layoffs and was among those affected.
She added, “I am so sorry, Andy, and I am so sorry to every single one of the artists who were let go,” describing the dismissed creatives as having been “considered obsolete.” She also urged fans to acknowledge their contributions, saying, “I stand with all the artists and Andy, I’m so sorry, and I love you guys.”
Lilly further criticised the growing shift toward outsourcing creative work and increasing reliance on artificial intelligence, arguing that such changes threaten jobs in the visual development pipeline that has long defined Marvel’s cinematic style.
Disney has said the layoffs are part of a restructuring effort aimed at streamlining operations and building a more “agile and technologically-enabled workforce,” according to internal communications from executives.
The controversy has intensified ongoing debates in Hollywood over AI, intellectual property, and the future of creative labour, particularly as studios and technology companies push forward with generative AI tools while artists demand stronger protections and compensation frameworks.
