Industry People’s Opinions Are Divided as the Anime Industry Is Facing a Big Decision Regarding AI

You probably know that the anime industry has been hit with a series of AI-related controversies in recent months, all of which started with the “Ghibli-zation” AI that dominated the internet for a while.

And while this feature had nothing to do with the industry directly, the March release of the Twins Hinahima anime short caused a proper debate, which was further augmented by the fact that Toei, one of Japan’s biggest animation companies, supported the use of AI in the industry.

Now, the industry is at a turning point, as the artists and executives have to decide how and in what capacity they are going to rely on the use of artificial intelligence in the anime industry.

On a general level, industry artists have been vocal opponents of AI use, not just because it is taking away their jobs, but also because it destroys the art behind such projects. Even some mangaka, notably JoJo’s Hirohiko Araki, spoke out against AI, and the legendary Hayao Miyazaki called AI art an “insult to life itself.”

Yet, this did not stop Frontier Works (which has brought us projects like Higurashi no Naku Koro ni) and KaKa Creation from producing the Twins Hinahima anime short. The anima caused a stir because the authors admitted to relying heavily on the use of AI in the production process; initially, reports claimed that it was completely AI-produced, but that seemingly turned out to be an exaggeration.

In the aftermath, Toei Animation also admitted to having some major ties to AI art, which made a lot of fans angry. Toei is one of Japan’s biggest animation studios, responsible for franchises like Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Digimon, so the fact that they rely on cheaper methods rather than actual art angered people.

In a recent interview, one producer asked: “Aren’t we shooting ourselves in the foot?” This was a reference to the growing use of AI in the anime industry, and to be frank, it’s quite a conundrum. KaKa Creation’s chief content officer Naomichi Iizuka, at the same time, called AI a potential lifeline.

The anime industry has to decide which direction it is going to take – the AI one or the non-AI one (which would make AI use either completely obsolete or restricted in a major way) – but what we do know is that fans want real, not AI art, and that industry surveys confirm that artists do not want AI to interfere that much.

As the heads are pondering what to do, the message from the actual creators and the consumers is quite clear.

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