Just two days after the news that his series had been greenlit. prime video as part of something new Amazon MGM Studios and Amazon Web Services Genai Creators Fund, Emmy Award-winning director Jorge R. Gutierrez He withdrew from the project following intense backlash from the animation community.
Fund’s first three green lights Announced this Wednesday: cupcakes & friends From BuzzFeed Studio. Love, Diana Music Hunters From creator Albie Hecht, chief content officer at pocket.watch. and punky duck From creator Jorge R. Gutierrez.
“I’ve learned so much from so many of you. Thank you. So much information that I’m digesting with all my heart. I completely understand the concerns about using AI to aid the animation pipeline. I’m so grateful to everyone who has shown me grace. I have a lot to think about.” After initially posting, Gutierrez wrote:
Comments ranged from support for the director to questions about how he can embrace a project using AI technology, which has previously been criticized on social media. Several comments acknowledged and praised Mr. Guterres’ well-known support for young professionals and the animation community at large. He is highly regarded as one of the kindest people in the industry. Others were pretty mean. No matter how it is phrased, this commentary perfectly encapsulates the key issues and concerns surrounding the growing presence and integration of highly disruptive AI technologies across the animation and VFX industry.
The onslaught of new AI-powered creative tools and production pipeline technologies remains one of the most debated topics in animation today. The concerns are all too real for much of the community: employment, ownership of intellectual property, the very idea of artistic value, and the need for an artist’s hand throughout the creative workflow. Opinions vary widely and debates are heated, but few universally accepted answers emerge from the debates. While many acknowledge the inevitability of AI-driven workflows, many believe that without a concerted pushback, inevitability will ultimately mean that artists will be tossed aside without any consideration or concern, and the talent, skills, experience, and knowledge gained through years of creative work will quickly become worthless.
We always hear that “with destruction comes opportunity.” That’s true, but every technological advance also forces us to decide what, or who, is left behind.
Dan Sarto is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Animation World Network.
