AI video generation has come a long way and fast. Two years ago we were laughing at Will Smith's nightmare visual of eating spaghetti. Today, the technology is used to generate finished content, including Dutch DJ and producer Don Pepin Sipper, aka Don Diablo's new music video.
As an early adopter eager to test the limitations of New Tech, Don worked with GPU giant Nvidia on a video from Drum and Bass project control Alt Delete on Blackout. In a sci-fi theme that is likely to remind you of many of a particular Hollywood movie, it was one of the first major mainstream music videos to use 100% AI-generated visuals, and it was impossible without technology.
How did the team do that and is it important that the visuals look like “AI”? I asked Don what he thought. If you need to upgrade your own setup to get more power, check out our guide to the best laptops for video editing and the best graphics cards for video editing.
Please take a look
The busy man is Don. Splitting time between Amsterdam and Los Angeles, he recently released New Single Dain Nothin with Nelly Furtado, but took the time to talk about Blackout's experimental AI video.
He says the new possibilities of the AI video generation quickly caught his attention. Describing himself as a “dreamer of the future,” he says, “I am constantly chasing my artistic vision and the next big innovation.” Collaboration with nvidia felt like a natural step towards removing deletions.
“It started out as a mutual curiosity,” he says. “I've always been fascinated by what happens when blurring the line between human creativity and mechanical intelligence. After seeing how Nvidia uses AI tools in my creative process, it's not just as a gimmick, but as a true extension of my artistic vision. It became clear from there.
Don wants to point out that he wants to maintain a human touch with his work, but says that electronic music is always about human-machine meetings. He points out that he provided fans with a 45-minute exclusive mix of AI-generated visuals displayed in live DJ performance settings operated in locations by professional stage builders, VJs, lights and sound crews.
Daily design news, reviews, how-tos, as the editor chose.
When it comes to creating music videos for Blackout, he says that the use of AI has completely changed the team's process. “In traditional productions, you usually start with lock-in scripting, scouting locations, build sets, shoots, edits, and repetition. Here, you were sketching visual dreams, and AI was filling in the surreal blanks. The storyboards were not static.
His team used Comfyui and Flux to train models on Don's hundreds of visual references from past shows, interviews, photography and 3D scans. Nvidia has provided the GeForce RTX 5090 GPU to enhance the work.
The team then works with the Generated Video Framework to “insert” Don Diablo into the “AI Rendering Dreamscape.” “Every reflection is your own remix,” he says. “A little creepy? Maybe. But definitely we spent hundreds of hours (and a lot of financial resources).
Cost and time were two major advantages, but Don emphasizes the freedom to experiment with anything. “I was able to repeat it at a speed of thinking. I test, adjust and convert the entire scene overnight,” he says. “But the real advantage? Freedom. You are not limited to physics, budget, weather, or gravity. Do you need a cathedral floating in a purple sea made from vinyl records?
One of the biggest challenges in AI video generation is maintaining consistency. Don realizes this is a problem and describes AI as an “overactivity genius.”
“Making sure the character's similarity, lighting, movement and mood consistency was a constant battle,” he recalls. “We've solved it by combining rapid engineering, model tuning, and some good old human art directions. It's dance. It's an AI lead, but we know the steps better.”
Please take a look
Some more subjective aspects are plotting me. The realism of AI video generation has improved significantly in just a few years, but it's still pretty obvious that it's AI, at least for those who are familiar with the artifacts associated with AI output. Does it not matter and distract you from the story? Don thinks it's no better than this and even welcomes Glitch.
“I think it was important in the past. Now it's like asking if a track is made with analog gear or digital plugins. Whether to listen to songs from vinyl or as mp3 on Spotify. The only question is what drives you? Nostalgia, excitement, discomfort – the medium becomes the message.
Are people becoming more and more embraced by the “appearance of AI”? Don thinks he'll get AI videos that are indistinguishable from real videos, but some people will continue to use them more intentionally than stylized works. “We have surreal AI videos that trick you into your senses. And there's intentionally stylized AI art that bends reality like Salvador Dali on the code. The future is not binary. It's not layered. Some stories want authenticity.
When it comes to fan reactions, he says most of them responded positively. “Some people love weirdness. Others say it feels like a dream immersed in the chord. Personally, I embrace glitch. They remind us that we are in the early stages of something innovative. It's like early synth music. It's raw, experimental, and a bit.
To finish, I asked Don what he learned from the project and it is clear that he has become a convert to AI use. “We don't have to wait for permission to build the world anymore,” he is enthusiastic. “The tools are here. The gatekeepers are gone. From now on, every project I touch will be some music, some technology, some emotions.
For more information about films and VFX AI, see here and the creation of Little Simz 'Young Video. We also have a guide to the best video editing software.
