Amazon and BuzzFeed are moving forward with Cupcake & Friends, an AI-animated Prime Video series based on the Good Advice Cupcake character, despite public protest from creator Loryn Brantz. The show is one of three greenlit through the GenAI Creators' Fund, a joint initiative between AWS and Amazon MGM Studios. Brantz, who created the character Cuppy at BuzzFeed in 2017 and left the company for YouTube educator Ms. Rachel in 2023, said BuzzFeed previously assured her it would not continue the IP without her involvement and called the new series “an assault on artists everywhere,” urging a boycott of BuzzFeed and AI-produced animation. A BuzzFeed spokesperson said the company owns the Cuppy IP and is using AI to bring a dormant library series back. Former CEO Jonah Peretti said human creativity remains at the core of the project, with AI used as a creation tool. The project arrives shortly after Byron Allen bought a majority BuzzFeed stake for $120M.
