AI-generated Harry Potter Balenciaga video goes viral

A video titled 'Harry Potter by Balenciaga,' created by the creative known as demonflyingfox using Midjourney, went viral within hours. The nearly one-minute clip reimagines characters from the Harry Potter saga—including Harry, Hermione Granger, Rubeus Hagrid, Ron Weasley, Minerva McGonagall, Dobby, and Voldemort—dressed in the contemporary style of the French fashion house Balenciaga, led by designer Demna Gvasalia. The scene blends interrogation and runway show aesthetics, with a DJ-set soundtrack and camera shutter sounds. It opens with Hagrid declaring, 'You are a Balenciaga, Harry,' followed by Severus Snape asking, 'What is the difference between H&M and Balenciaga?' The article notes that this playful experiment raises serious questions about the future of marketing and information, citing recent AI-generated images of Pope Francis in a white puffer jacket and Donald Trump's arrest that risked becoming global fake news. The piece asks whether brands will soon no longer need influencers and whether increasingly undetectable fake news will circulate.