How can AI assist anime production? Posted May 18, 2023
Anime, which is derived from the Japanese word for "animation", is used to describe all animation produced in Japan. The produced pieces are inspired by various ideas and cultural backgrounds, as for instance Japanese culture or other cultures, such as Egyptian mythology for instance, among many others.
The first anime productions were hand-drawn cel by cel, and then those drawings were photographed. However, their production quickly became digital after digital animation was introduced in the late 1990s. Now that technology keeps advancing day by day, it consequently affects the production of anime as well. Hence, the impact of artificial intelligence on anime production did not go unnoticed. Artificial intelligence is used to digitally create literally anything, from poetry to caricatures, or even for instance to create a website for a live casino in Australia, and likewise it can be used to aid the anime production. This article will discuss how anime production is embracing the newest technology, particularly artificial intelligence.
AI can produce infinite illustrations
One of the most prominent advantages that will save time and cost is undoubtedly AI’s ability to generate infinite illustrations based on prompts that it is given. An example of an AI tool that serves this purpose is DALL-E 2, which is a tool functioning under the umbrella of OpenAI, the same company that established the infamous ChatGPT. DALL-E 2 can create real-life images and art based on a plain text description that it is given, so generating pictures for an entire anime is easier than ever. Consequently, this would mean that you get results way quicker with artificial intelligence, as for example with DALL-E 2 you get the illustrations in real time, while you would have to wait days and weeks for an artist to deliver the same amount of work. It is estimated that by 2025 tools like DALL-E 2 will outperform anime artists.
AI brings illustrations to life
Another strong point of artificial intelligence is that there are AI animations models, such as Crypko, where you can upload a static illustration and make it move. So, for instance, you can give it an illustration and then choose to make it cry, laugh, smile or any other movement or mimic you wish the character to perform. In this case, instead of creating every single image multiple times to make the anime illustrations move, you simply feed the AI an illustration and you can have it all ready for you. Thus, you save time and energy in creating and producing the anime, which has two sides to the medal. On one side, instead of doing all this work, anime designers can focus their attention on other things. However, this also means that people who might have been doing this job until now, are made redundant.
TOEI is already using AI tools
Toei is a well-known Japanese animation studio that has produced a lot of anime ever since its establishment. Amongst other great anime productions, Toei stands behind some of the most popular anime films, such as Dragon Ball, which is still quite famous. Additionally, Toei has also produced One Piece, which is one of the longest-running anime shows of all times. Recently, it has been announced that Toei has started incorporating AI tools into its production, with the particular aim to speed up the whole production process so that more animes can go live. It was reported that the company has used a few AI tools for generating animation backgrounds and some other tools to color the characters’ clothes. The company has already produced a short anime that was more of an experiment of using AI tools and concluded that the help of AI has reduced the time of production by approximately 70%.
Will AI replace human jobs in anime production?
This is a question that concerns many people in different fields and not just in the anime production area. It is undoubtedly true that artificial intelligence, with as much advancement as it has today, will replace a few duties of workers and this is of course a positive and welcomed assist. However, animators’ jobs are not to be seen as a prospective career path for the future because of the developments that are to come. Hence, based on the tempo of the latest technology advancements, it is anticipated that we have less than five years until AI will completely dominate the animation industry.
Conclusion
The examples demonstrate how artificial intelligence may assist automate, speed up, and save a ton of time for animators during the production process of animes. By doing so, they are able to spend more time creating animations rather than performing repetitive duties. We've seen how quickly artificial intelligence has elevated the range of contemporary animation to previously unheard-of levels in recent years, and we're eager to see what they'll be able to accomplish in the future.
