The Japanese national branch presented a short film called “Dog & The Boy”, in which the backgrounds of the images were generated by an AI algorithm. According to the information, the decision was made to go this route because there has been a significant shortage of skilled workers in the anime industry for some time and it is becoming increasingly difficult to complete many projects using only the usual human illustrators.
“Here, as an experimental measure to help the anime industry facing a labor shortage, we used image generation technology for the background images of the 3-minute video clip,” the streaming platform wrote in a tweet showcasing the result. It was probably hoped for at least halfway benevolent reactions from anime fans who just can’t get enough of the new material.
But the opposite was the case. Netflix received massive criticism and outrage. A whole series of users accused the company of using AI technologies in order to ultimately not have to pay expensive human draftsmen. According to a report by VentureBeat, the technology is being used as a lever for further cost reductions and the devaluation of workers.
Problematic Industry
This accusation does not come from a vacuum. Demand for new anime production has skyrocketed in recent years, but the industry has long been characterized by poor working conditions and low wages. In 2017, an illustrator died at work, allegedly from a stress-related heart attack and stroke; In 2021, lower-tier anime illustrators were reportedly earning as little as $200 a month, peaking at $1400-$3800. So it’s hardly surprising that it’s difficult to recruit young talent.
However, anime fans don’t limit their criticism to just that. They also fear that the productions will lose a lot of their individuality and character as a result. After all, the AIs are trained for their task with numerous existing images and should then simply produce an average suitable for the masses in the end.
- Japanese national branch presented short film “Dog & The Boy” with AI algorithm instead of human artists.
- Criticism and outrage from anime fans as AI technologies are seen as a bludgeon to cut costs and devalue workers.
- Demand for anime production is increasing, but poor working conditions and low wages.
- AIs are trained with existing images and at best produce an average that is suitable for the masses.
- Netflix is reaping massive criticism and outrage for experiment.
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