Moleskine faces backlash from fans and creatives after using AI-generated imagery in its new The Lord of the Rings collection while failing to provide transparency regarding design processes.

Key Points

• Moleskine launched a Lord of the Rings collection featuring notebooks, planners, and merchandise with minimalist, AI-generated artwork.
• Promotional materials contained nonsensical, gibberish map labels like "Der Rarmorth," indicating a lack of human oversight or quality control.
• The company initially included an "Imagined by Moleskine, generated by AI" disclaimer on some website images before removing it entirely.
• Moleskine claimed on Instagram that designers created the covers while AI was used only for backgrounds, though no evidence or artist credits were provided.
• The $175 three-book collection sold out despite ongoing criticism regarding the brand's commitment to human creativity.

Why it Matters

The controversy highlights a growing tension between heritage brands that market themselves to creatives and the increasing use of generative AI in commercial design. By obscuring the role of AI in its products, Moleskine risks alienating its core customer base, which values the authenticity and human craftsmanship the brand historically championed.