Olivia Rodrigo answers AI claims on Expectations video with studio footage

Olivia Rodrigo has answered claims that artificial intelligence built parts of her latest music video by showing the human work behind it. The clip is for “expectations (feat. Chappell Roan)”, the remix released on 15 October. Behind-the-scenes footage posted after the premiere traces the disputed shots back to hand drawing, animation software and a filmed computer screen.

The remix is the fourth single from Rodrigo’s third album, “You Seem Pretty Sad”, following “Drop Dead”, “The Cure” and “Stupid Song”, as announced via Yahoo. The original “Expectations” appears on that album. Rodrigo has said a Kendrick Lamar song acted as “a mantra” while she was writing the track, as reported by Billboard Canada. Her official store film page lists ‘expectations’ with a runtime of 03:41.

The video leans into retro television. It parodies game shows including The Price Is Right, Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. David Byrne appears as a game show host, while Aquaria and the Venus Twins appear in a Family Feud spoof called “Sister Squabble”. The official YouTube channel carries the finished piece under the title “expectations (feat. Chappell Roan) (Official Music Video)”.

Questions focused on a sequence around the three-minute mark. That passage mixes retro logos with cartoon-style images of Rodrigo and Roan flying through the frame. Some viewers pointed to odd-looking fingers as possible signs of generative AI, the term for software that creates images or video from prompts.

Designer Jack Harrison and the fan account @LiviesHQ then shared footage of the production process, as detailed by Rolling Stone. The clips show hand-drawn drafts, 3D animation recordings and analogue treatments with no visible AI step. Harrison led the analogue work that gives the video its retro, lo-fi flavour. Rodrigo also posted behind-the-scenes clips of the animation work after the AI claims circulated.

The method was deliberately old-school. The art team built animations in 2D and 3D software, loaded the files onto a Windows Vista PC, then filmed that screen with a high-resolution camera. The answer was hands and cameras.

Rodrigo has previously told The Hollywood Reporter she would “never” use AI in her music: “Absolutely no. Hard line on that.” What makes this stand out is the paper trail. For fans, this means the wobbles and rough edges are part of the technique, not a glitch.