In an open letter to the anime industry, a creator and company president explained how the correct use of artificial intelligence (AI) can help employees in the face of the anime industry’s notorious working conditions. The creator and president, Masamune Sakakiwho is also a computer graphics (CG) creator, revealed that he is the president of a foreign company that produces hand-drawn animations, being a point of contact for Chinese anime companies.
For everyone in the anime industry, I haven’t made this public, but besides being a CG animator, I’m also the president of a foreign company that produces hand-drawn animation (a point of contact for Chinese anime companies). There has been a lot of criticism about generative AI lately and I think the misuse of AI is completely unacceptable. Yet almost no one in the anime industry talks about how employees at anime companies in China are being exploited. due to strict unit prices and deadlines due to repeated schedule disruptions.
Please stop saying “we don’t need AI” and acting like it isn’t happening! I wonder if the end users (like major anime companies abroad and in Japan), who support the creation of most Japanese anime under incredibly harsh working conditions, really understand. I want it to be known that there are people researching AI with a desire to improve the workplace. While we should ban the misuse of AI, I really hope people stop criticizing AI research. If used effectively, AI has a lot of potential to solve many problems in the anime industry.
The creator went on to explain how AI can be used as a useful tool, as it enhances and processes images with increasingly higher resolution. He emphasized that the work of the human artist will not disappear, but suggests that animators can use AI to improve their initial drawings and save time.
AI is more accurate if you give instructions by drawing them rather than using pointers.
This call for the incorporation of artificial intelligence in the anime industry has generated a heated debate among fans. On the one hand, many industry professionals express support for the legal regulation of AI, and are open to its use due to its potential benefits in improving working conditions and production efficiency. But on the other hand, many anime fans, especially those who value hand-drawn animation, strongly oppose the implementation of AI in anime creation. They believe that AI intervention could compromise the quality and unique artistry that characterizes traditional anime.
Overall, the use of AI in the anime industry is a controversial topic that will continue to generate discussion and controversy. As technology advances and develops, it will be interesting to see how the anime industry approaches this issue and whether it eventually embraces AI as an integral tool in the anime production process.
