Amid Studio Ghibli's AI War, Cowboy Bebop's Creator Is Sick of the Tech -

Despite a spring lineup that includes strong debuts of new titles and the return of a few heavy hitters in the industry, the anime community has been largely preoccupied with discussions surrounding the use of generative AI. More specifically, social media was set ablaze when Open AI released their latest image generation tool, which can turn any photo into an imitation drawing in Studio Ghibli style, and dangerously debuted with the name Ghibli attached to it.

While many of its users argued why exactly they shouldn’t be able to Ghibli-fy jolly photos of their family and pets, actual artists began to voice their criticisms of the latest technology, which attempted to recreate what often takes talented people hours to accomplish. Just as much of the noise surrounding the trend began to fade, famed Cowboy Bebop director Shinichiro Watanabe shared his thoughts on the rise of AI in anime, once again sparking the debate among fans and those ready to stir controversy.

Shinichiro Watanabe Slams Generative AI in New Interview

The Creator Behind Several Iconic Anime Titles Isn’t a Fan of the Technology

In a new interview with Gizmodo Japan, Shinichiro Watanabe, whose latest project Lazarus is currently airing on Adult Swim, shared his thoughts on the rise of AI in the anime industry. Predictably, as nearly every other supremely talented and successful artist has expressed, Watanabe revealed he isn’t too impressed with the technology. He referred to his 2019 series, Carole & Tuesday, which focused on musicians in an age where AI is commonly used to create music.

Watanabe said, “Actually, there is a trend to introduce AI into anime. But I think that people who work in anime started their careers because they want to draw pictures, create stories, and make good works. If AI makes everything, does it mean anything, no matter how advanced the work is? I think we’re forgetting the basic fact that we create music because we want to.”

He then continued, “I have worked in the anime industry for a long time and have concluded that anything drawn by human hands has a certain charm, even if the drawing is messy. This is because the feelings of the person who drew it are put into it.” The famed creator of works like Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo continued to share that he felt AI-generated “art” lacks a human quality, and later called the technology “a heartless monster”. He isn’t the first artist in the industry to have shared such feelings, as Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki expressed a similar sentiment nearly a decade ago.

Hayao Miyazaki Has Expressed Similar Feelings

The Studio Ghibli Founder Slammed AI Long Before It Rose to Popularity

There’s a sad irony to the rise of AI-generated Ghibli-esque images, as Studio Ghibli founder and likely the most recognizable name in anime, Hayao Miyazaki, expressed his distaste for AI nearly a decade ago. In 2016, when shown a demonstration from media company DWANGO, Miyazaki stated that he felt the AI-generated animation was “an insult to life itself”.

San sucks the poison out of her mother Moro's wound and spits it out as she glares at Ashitaka in Princess Mononoke.

Studio Ghibli Shows AI Who’s Boss As Princess Mononoke Breaks Records With Theatrical Return

As the Studio Ghibli vs AI controversy raged on, Princess Mononoke saw a remastered IMAX release and shattered its own box office record.

Later, when the team informed him that they wished to create technology that could draw like humans can, a visibly disappointed Miyazaki said, “I feel like we are nearing the end of times. We humans are losing faith in ourselves.” As the use of AI increases in various art forms, it’s important to remember both Hayao Miyazaki’s, and now Shinichiro Watanabe’s stances on the new tech. Artists create for various reasons, but it all boils down to expression, and much of the value is lost when there’s nothing human to express.

Source: Gizmodo Japan