Elon Musk has again drawn attention online after sharing AI-generated video that uses Sydney Sweeney’s likeness. The move comes shortly after he faced criticism for earlier remarks about the actor on X (formerly Twitter). The post highlights new video-generation technology on the platform.
Elon Musk posts AI-generated Sydney Sweeney video
Elon Musk shared an AI-generated clip on X this week that digitally recreates actress Sydney Sweeney, using the video to highlight recent upgrades to X’s AI. The billionaire posted the clip Wednesday morning alongside a message announcing improvements to xAI’s Grok Imagine system. “Grok video is now 10 seconds and the audio is greatly improved,” Musk wrote.
The video places a computer-generated version of Sweeney inside a spacecraft with another AI-created character. In the exchange, Sweeney says, “So let me get this straight. Grok videos are now 10 seconds, and the audio is greatly improved?” Her counterpart responds, “Yeah, pretty much… Do you like it?” The background includes electronic beeps and a steady mechanical hum, highlighting the science-fiction setting.
The clip was created by X user Alex Patrascu, who also published the detailed prompt used to generate the video. The instructions specified a live-action look, handheld-camera movement, dramatic lighting, and sound effects. However, the prompt did not include Sweeney’s name. It has raised questions about how the system generated a likeness so closely resembling the actress.
The post comes weeks after Musk drew criticism for previous online remarks about Sweeney. In December, he responded to clip of the actress attending the The Housemaid premiere in a gown by sharing a digitally created, four-panel image. Two sections were labeled “What it looks like,” while the lower half read “How it feels.” Musk captioned the image, “Can’t be easy,” sparking backlash among fans. Many users described the comment on Sweeney’s appearance inappropriate.