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A few days ago, TOEI animation presented his ambitious plans in dealing with artificial intelligence, but now rowed back after violent fan criticism. We summarize below.
Ambitious AI plans
At the beginning of May it was announced that TOEI animation together with the Kodansha publishing house and the television station TBS invested a total of 50 billion yen in the Japanese Ki Startup Preferred Networks (PFN). When presenting the financial results for 2024, the anime studio gave further details on the goals of the partnership.
On page 20 of the original presentation, it is said that artificial intelligence should be used in various areas of anime production-including storyboard, coloring, interim animation and background. Examples served scenes with a character from the “Pretty Cure” franchise.
The “Pretty Cure” franchise is particularly popular in Japan, while the use of AI met with strong rejection for anime fans. The mentification that artificial intelligence could be used in a “Precure” series could immediately trigger a massive wave of protest in social networks.
Attachment of the minds
As a result, TOEI animation published a new presentation in which all “Pretty Cure” pictures were removed from the corresponding film. In addition, the following note was added to the appeasement of the minds:
»Storyboard, coloring and interim animation are areas of production in which artificial intelligence is to increase efficiency in the future. No AI technology is currently being used in these processes. The pictures only served as an example of Scenify – a tool that PFN published together with us in 2021. «
The debates about the use of artificial intelligence in the animation area still trigger strong reactions among the fans and even if the change from TOEI animation could have calmed down part of the minds, there is an outlook for the coming financial year that KI should be used in anime production-which indicates an unchanged long-term objective.
More on the topic:
Via the original presentation, updated presentation
©1999 Toei Animation Co., Ltd. ©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, Toei Animation
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