The event was hosted by the London-based event company House of Illuminati, which was incorporated just three months ago, according to the U.K. government agency Companies House. It describes itself as “a realm where fantasy and reality converge to create unparalleled immersive experiences.” The company didn’t respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
In the hours after the event’s abrupt cancellation, House of Illuminati posted a now-deleted statement on its Facebook page promising to return attendees’ money.
“Today has been a very stressful and frustrating day for many and for that we are truly sorry. Unfortunately last minute we were let down in many areas of our event and tried our best to continue on and push through and now realise we probably should havd cancelled first thing this morning instead,” the post said. “we fully apologise for what has happened and will be giving full refunds to each and every person that purchased tickets.”
It isn’t entirely clear whether the company used AI to generate its promotional images and character scripts, and the company hasn’t addressed the topic.
Ever since the ongoing explosion in generative AI technology made it easy for internet users to instantaneously create web copy and images from text prompts, many sellers and services have begun using AI-generated content in their marketing. Deepfakes of celebrities and influencers advertising certain products have also circulated in recent months, tricking some potential buyers.
Paul Connell, another actor hired for the event, said some scenes in the script were “absolute nonsense” and impossible to replicate without special effects. The actors said event organizers soon told them to scrap the scripts and just improvise as the characters they were supposed to play.
At one point, Connell said, the actors began to suspect that the event was a sham and that they were unlikely to receive payment for their work. But after they discussed the situation…
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