Love Live CD Delayed Amid Claims Its Jacket Art Used Generative AI

The Love Live! school idol franchise's fifth main group, Love Live! Hasu no Sora Jōgakuin School Idol Club, announced on Tuesday that the group's eighth single, “Hajimari no Haneoto,” has been delayed from November 26 to December 24. According to the staff, the delay is due to errors in the single's jacket art, and the announcement included images of the jacket art before and after the corrections were made:

Can't spot the differences? Here's a helpful animated GIF image showing where the staff made changes.

The delay comes amid claims that the jacket art was made using generative AI. The claims came in response to the original October 31 announcement for the single's release date. In a cursory look at the over 170 responses, several commenters highlighted portions of the artwork they claimed demonstrates the use of generative AI.

As of press time, the Love Live! franchise has not released a statement confirming or denying the use of generative AI in the jacket art of “Hajimari no Haneoto.”

Sources: Love Live! Hasu no Sora Jōgakuin School Idol Club's X/Twitter account (link 2), Love Live! via Yaraon, Hachima Kikō