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Darren Aronofsky, Your AI Slop Is Ruining American History in ‘On This Day…1776’

Commentary: The high-profile Hollywood director created a studio dedicated to creating a «new cinematic grammar» built around AI. This is not a good start.

Just over 2 minutes into an early episode of the new short film series, On This Day…1776, we see a hand sweep tenderly over the title page of Thomas Paine’s just-published firebrand pamphlet Common Sense; Addressed to the Inhabitants of America.

Only, in that moment, «America» vanishes, replaced by the all-caps nonsense text «Aamereedd.»

It’s a classic tell that we’re in the presence of generative AI.

But this isn’t the gotcha moment you might think it is. The filmmakers behind the series, led by executive producer Darren Aronofsky, are fully embracing generative video. That’s as big a driving force behind «On This Day…1776» as the intention to tell stories of the American Revolution in this 250th anniversary year.

Aronofsky is known for directing high-profile films including Black Swan, The Whale and Mother, but he’s also the founder of Primordial Soup, the AI-first studio that created On This Day…1776. Its larger ambition, according to its website, is to fuse art and technology into a new creative model, «merging bold narrative, emotional depth, and experimental work flows.» That is, the studio wants to use AI to create bona fide art.

Good luck with that. 

Because Darren? Y’all are making a mess of it with this project.

I’ve been watching the episodes as they drop on YouTube, and I am dumbfounded. Bold narrative? More like performative staging, tipping over into self-parody. Emotional depth? About as much as you’d find on the cover of the average history textbook.

It’s hellish broth of machine-driven AI slop and bad human choices.

At least they’re on point with the whole «experimental work flows» thing. Creative people in Hollywood and beyond are staring down the barrel of artificial intelligence systems that threaten to take away their livelihoods and devalue the skills they’ve worked lifetimes to perfect. Aronofsky and Primordial Soup say they’re trying to find a way forward in blending human talent and agency with AI tools that have inevitability written all over them.

We’re living through an anxiety-ridden moment induced by powerful image and video tools like Google’s Veo and Nano Banana and OpenAI’s Sora, along with the introduction of an AI ingenue named Tilly Norwood. Two years after strikes in Hollywood over the use of AI in movies and TV shows, Walt Disney Studios in late December reached a deal with OpenAI allowing AI to slurp up characters from Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars.

In an interview with The Guardian last summer, not long after Primordial Soup launched, Aronofsky acknowledged that AI tools are being widely used to create slop, citing that as motivation. «There are a lot of artists who are fighting against AI, but I don’t see that as making any sense,» he said. «If we don’t shape these tools, somebody else will.»

But the way to fight AI slop — slick but soulless images and video, superficially articulate text that lacks any true understanding of the real world, and all of it flooding the internet — is not with more AI slop.

Which, I’m sorry, is what we’ve got with On This Day…1776.

What AI hath wrought in ‘On This Day…1776’

The episodes in On This Day…1776 are meant to recreate signature moments from that foundational year, debuting weekly on the date of the moment being depicted. They’re under 5 minutes in length, so on that basis alone, don’t expect Ken Burns’ The American Revolution.

So far, those moments include George Washington’s defiant raising of an American flag and the publication of Paine’s Common Sense. On the plus side, there’s crispness to the pacing (an artifact, perhaps, of time limits on AI’s video generation), richness of detail and a sense that the filmmakers are trying to give us a «you are there» feel.

But the overall effect lands somewhere between unsettling and laughable. The flag episode has the heavy-handed feel of a recruitment ad for the Continental Army, not any kind of meaningful narrative. A drawing room encounter between Paine and Ben Franklin would be right at home with the fabricated interactions in a corporate HR training video.

Across the episodes, there are odd directorial and editing choices. Tight shots of buckled shoes and the backs of people’s heads. The passing of a scroll from hand to hand in quick-cut scenes. Ludicrously overdramatic titling sequences introducing famous figures. An 8-second sequence in the flag episode that subjects us to closeups of one mouth after another shouting. Presumably, these filmmaking decisions were made by humans.

Then there’s the AI. Faces are waxy or rubbery, and often have a weird mix of blurring and hyperintense texture. At one point we see a hand that’s overly moist; it’s supposed to indicate fevered sweating but looks instead like an alien creation emerging from a pod. Lips are rarely synced to the words they’re speaking. Faces, especially Franklin’s, shift subtly but disturbingly. 

The AI has an especially hard time with the members of Parliament gathered to hear George III speak about the rebellious colonies. There’s a sameness across the several dozen middle-aged men in wigs crammed into the benches, not least in the smaller group shots of gents who are clearly clones of each other.

More than almost anything else, what undermines the series is its show-offy nature. We’re repeatedly subjected to intense closeups: strands of hair, the weave of a burlap bag, the woody texture of a matchstick or a ship’s mast, painfully sharp wrinkles on old men’s faces. OK, OK, we get it — AI images are getting much better at photorealism.

What we don’t get enough of from Primordial Soup is how exactly it’s using AI. The press release announcing the launch of On This Day…1776, which it describes as an «animated series,» refers vaguely to «a combination of traditional filmmaking tools and emerging AI capabilities» and to the series being «animated by artists using a variety of generative AI tools.» It also notes that the series was made «in part» with AI from Google’s DeepMind division, and that DeepMind brought us Gemini and Nano Banana as well.

The Primordial Soup website doesn’t say anything specifically about On This Day…1776, and in fact doesn’t say a lot at all. But it does have an «opportunity» page noting that it’s looking for AI artists who want to «contribute to a new cinematic grammar being built in real time» working with AI tools like Veo, Runway, Midjourney and Sora with 3D/VFX software including Blender, Unreal and Houdini.

Veo was instrumental in the making of Ancestra, the first of a planned three short films from the partnership of DeepMind and Primordial Soup that’s meant to explore new applications for Veo. Ancestra, which debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival last June, combines generative video and live-action filmmaking.

So it’s a safe bet that Veo is responsible for a lot of what we see in On This Day…1776.

Meanwhile, what of the humans involved in making the series? Again, there’s very little to go on. The episodes don’t scroll any credits for the artists, nor are they listed anywhere else that I’ve looked. The press materials say the series is «voiced by SAG actors,» but again, no individual credits. There is a reference to the score being by someone named Jordan Dykstra and to a writers’ room led by a Lucas Sussman. So that’s two humans, at least.

Representatives for Primordial Soup and Time Studios, the distributor for the series, did not respond to request for more detail.

AI’s place in history

So how does «On This Day…1776» work as a guidebook to that time in American history? Right now, two episodes in, the AI and the filmmakers’ tics are way too much of a distraction. As a costume drama, it seems all right on period appointments like clothing, housewares and such. The exterior of the Longfellow House in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Washington had his headquarters that winter, was strikingly on point — I used to walk by the real thing nearly every day, and I recognized it right away.

I was pleased to see episode 2’s focus on Common Sense, a stirring exhortation for the American colonists to oppose tyranny that was immensely influential at that time and that doesn’t always get the attention today that it deserves.

Fifty years ago, when the country was celebrating its 200th anniversary, CBS ran a series of Bicentennial Minutes that aired nightly during prime time. A famous actor, politician or other celebrity would speak directly to the camera, the graphics were low-key, and we learned a little bit about Boston’s Liberty Tree, Congress debating the Articles of Confederation or an incident on a small island in New York harbor.

They were much more humble reflections than we’re getting from Primordial Soup. I was in high school at that time and a dedicated TV viewer, and I remember enjoying those minutes, slight as they were. (Hey, I did go on to be a history major in college.) 

The press materials for «On This Day…1776» make a point of saying that its re-creations are «reframing the Revolution not as a foregone conclusion but as a fragile experiment shaped by those who fought for it.»

It’s an excellent point. The success of the American Revolution was not guaranteed, and the effort to create something new and worthwhile was often in jeopardy.

We are at a similar stage, living a real-time experiment of fitting AI into human company in a healthy, survivable way. Whether we succeed or not will be for history to judge.

I do have to point out that in the Common Sense episode, «Aamereedd» made only that one split-second appearance. In all other views of the pamphlet’s cover — I counted at least two dozen — the name of the new land showed up clear as day and correctly spelled: America.

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I Stuck My Face Into Nintendo’s New Virtual Boy and Felt Oddly Comforted

This bulky, bizarre accessory for your Switch isn’t exactly VR, but it is a lot more fun than I expected.

I’ve owned a lot of Nintendo systems over the years as a tech reviewer, gamer and VR-obsessed individual, but I’ve never owned a Virtual Boy. It’s always made me feel wistful. So finally here I am, playing the newest version. My face is stuck into a large red plastic visor, standing on a tripod on a table at Nintendo’s preview event. My takeaway? Nintendo’s latest weird retro move feels like an odd success.

I’m old enough to have owned Nintendo Game & Watch handhold games, and I remember the original Virtual Boy when it popped up in Electronics Boutique at my local mall. The red-and-black monochrome 3D game console wasn’t fully wearable, and it wasn’t TV-connected. It’s a tabletop game machine, something closer in spirit to the old Vectrex. Calling the Virtual Boy «VR» isn’t really accurate. It’s more like a 3D viewer for retro games. 

Nintendo’s bringing this niche system back as a plastic recreation that turns your Nintendo Switch into the Virtual Boy, along with games you can play on Nintendo’s Virtual Console via a Switch Online subscription. It only works on a small subset of retro titles specifically designed for 3D — Nintendo promises 14 by the end of the year, with roughly half available at launch. You need the full Switch Online and Expansion Pack subscription ($50 a year, or $80 for a family subscription) to use it. That’s a lot of money for a little slice of strange retro gaming history.

Leaning into a weird tabletop goggle-thing

The $100 viewer and holster for the Switch is absurd. It’s like an optical appliance at Tron’s eye doctor. It’s larger than I thought it would be and not really portable. Instead of strapping it to your head like a VR headset, you set it up on a table with the included tripod, lean in and play.

After a few moments inside the Virtual Boy, I found it surprisingly comfortable. The large eyepiece is big enough to easily fit chunky glasses inside, yet has light-blocking sides that keep the viewing experience relatively glare-free. It feels like peeking into those old antique stereoscope machines that would show 3D photos or flip-films.

The Switch (or Switch OLED or Switch 2, but sorry, no Switch Lite compatibility) display acts as the Virtual Boy screen, splitting into a 3D view in the headset. It’s like how Nintendo turned the Switch into a pair of VR goggles with Labo VR way back when, but the Virtual Boy feels better than that. I was looking via a Switch 2 display, which is higher-res than Nintendo’s original Switch systems, but these games are low-res by default, so the 3D effects don’t seem degraded. Imagine a red-and-black 3D Game Boy, because that’s basically what it feels like.

Keeping the whole thing in one stable place also helps. No motion lag sickness, because you’re not moving (and neither are the games, really). Playing while leaning into the goggles for a half hour or so didn’t tire me out. 

There are even some comfort settings. You can adjust the IPD (interpupillary distance) in the app to adjust the clarity, and you’ll be able to change the color scheme to other colors. I only got to play in the OG red-and-black mode, though, which feels very nocturnal and cozy to me, like being submerged in a gaming cave.

Games are retro bunches of fun

I played with a Switch Pro controller, although you can also use Joy-Cons. I played a bunch, and they’re all pretty fun. Teleroboxer is a 3D Punch-Out game with robots. WarioLand is a lost gem, a Wario game with 3D effects and depth layers. Galactic Pinball feels like all those NES and Game Boy pinball games with a 3D tilt. Golf is kind of a letdown, since the course views are static, but it’s cute. Red Alert is a wireframe Star Fox-like shooter, and it feels kind of like a perfect fit for this retro indie gaming moment we’re in.

A Japanese port of The Mansion of Innsmouth — a game I’ve never heard of before — is a simple 3D dungeon crawler with Lovecraftian monsters. And there’s 3D Tetris, which actually lets you flip pieces in all directions to drop into a deep 3D well. Nintendo is promising 14 Virtual Boy games released over time this year, including two never-released ones. Will there be more after that? Well, the system only had 22 games that were ever released for it in the first place, so we’ll see.

You also choose a cheaper Virtual Boy accessory to play these games, a $25 cardboard pair of goggles that I wasn’t allowed to demo. I’m sure it’s not as comfortable, but it does let you just hold the Switch up to your face, grab the side controllers to play.

During my time with the Virtual Boy, it really surprised me. It ended up feeling a lot more fun, and even «of the weird moment,» than I expected. I’ve been obsessed with retro indie games that feel like they’ve come from a parallel timeline, from UFO 50 to the odd Panic Playdate console. The Virtual Boy feels like Nintendo dug up a weird magic item from 1995. I’m ready to play some more, because I feel a desperate need to cocoon back in game time.

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Technologies

Google’s Pixel Buds Pro 2 Are Now Just $179, Their Lowest Price of 2026

With a $50 discount, these wireless earbuds are a bargain you won’t want to miss.

Google’s Pixel Buds Pro 2 are a great pair of wireless ANC earbuds, and right now they’re available for just $179 at Amazon. That’s a $50 discount and the retailer’s lowest price of 2026, and you can choose from four different colors when ordering. Act fast, though, because this limited-time deal is unlikely to hang around for long.

The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are among the best wireless earbuds available right now, and are our top pick for Android users. That makes this price all the more impressive, and that’s before we get into the list of premium features on offer.

These updated earbuds provide noticeably improved sound quality and noise cancellation compared to their predecessor. They’re built with Google’s powerful Tensor A1 chip and designed to offer rich, immersive sound. It’s the first time a Google Tensor chip has been featured in any earbuds and the result is robust active noise cancellation and advanced sound.

The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 earbuds deliver deep bass with their built-in 11 mm drivers and a new high-frequency chamber for smoother treble. CNET’s audio expert David Carnoy noted that compared to the original Pixel Buds Pro, «there’s more depth and richness to the sound with better overall definition and extension.» Read his full review of the Pixel Buds Pro 2 to get the full lowdown.

These buds also got a design upgrade, with Google making them 27% smaller and 24% lighter to securely fit even more ear types. If you want to wear them during workouts, there’s a twist-to-adjust stabilizer to help lock your earbuds in place while you’re moving around and sweating.

There’s also a conversation detection feature that pauses your music and switches your earbuds to the transparency mode if you start talking. And with an impressive 30-hour battery life, you can listen to all your favorite songs, audiobooks and podcasts for hours on end without having to recharge.

HEADPHONE DEALS OF THE WEEK

Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

Why this deal matters

At $179, these earbuds are a great buy thanks to advanced active noise cancellation, impressive sound quality and a lengthy battery life. The current deal makes the Pixel Buds Pro 2 earbuds cheaper than we’ve seen them all year. But the deal won’t be around for long, so act fast if you want to take advantage of this discount.

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Feb. 3, #498

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Feb. 3, No. 498.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is pretty challenging. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Play ball!

Green group hint: We won!

Blue group hint: Huskies who play hoops.

Purple group hint: College division.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Found at a baseball field.

Green group: Rewards for winning a championship.

Blue group: UConn women’s basketball greats.

Purple group: A Mountain West athlete.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is found at a baseball field. The four answers are backstop, bullpen, dugout and on-deck circle.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is rewards for winning a championship. The four answers are bonus, parade, ring and trophy.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is UConn women’s basketball greats. The four answers are Bird, Cash, Collier and Lobo.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is a Mountain West athlete. The four answers are Aggie, Aztec, Cowboy and Ram.

Toughest Connections: Sports Edition categories

The Connections: Sports Edition puzzle can be tough, but it really depends on which sports you know the most about. My husband aces anything having to do with Formula 1, my best friend is a hockey buff, and I can answer any question about Minnesota teams.
That said, it’s hard to pick the toughest Connections categories, but here are some I found exceptionally mind-blowing.

#1: Serie A Clubs. Answers: Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio, Roma.

#2: WNBA MVPs. Answers: Catchings, Delle Donne, Fowles and Stewart.

#3: Premier League team nicknames. Answers: Bees, Cherries, Foxes and Hammers.

#4: Homophones of NBA player names. Answers: Barns, Connect, Heart and Hero.

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