The use of AI in entertainment has been a hot-button issue this year, to say the least. It was a main catalyst in the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes that brought almost all film and television productions to a halt for months. During a recent round table discussion, Sam Register, President of Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios shared his feelings on the issue.
“Animation’s a visual medium. But so far, I haven’t seen anything AI can do visually that an artist doesn’t do better currently,” Register said when asked if he was using AI or concerned about the technology.
“I have an example of something, which are storyboards, where we put scripts in for storyboard analysis,” responded fellow panelist Roy Lee, founder of Vertigo Entertainment. “It’s like pieces of art. And you could give notes, and it changes it on the fly,” he added.
“As an animation studio, I just think it’s important we protect the artists and the art form as long as we can,” Register bluntly stated. “Because I think we should give jobs to people who really do that and so they can get their entry-level experience.”
Register is right, as it stands right now AI cannot duplicate an authentic human touch when it comes to media. Having a machine take over a job like storyboarding that was once used to help newcomers cut their teeth is a disservice to everyone. It produces lower-quality content while robbing human beings of the chance to learn and gain experience.
We are sure AI has its place as a helpful tool but machinery isn’t known for its creativity or ability to think outside the box. This is literally what creative industries like entertainment and animation are designed to do.
