AI Anime Will Never Be More Than a Cringey Gimmick

Over the past several years, the use of artificial intelligence has become commonplace in the day-to-day life of millions, both for recreation and for work. This has proven to be controversial and divisive, especially when it comes to the use of AI in art, including anime. Fortunately, despite current attempts to more heavily implement AI in anime production, and even creating anime entirely via AI, it’s clear that this is nothing more than a gimmicky fad.

AI is impacting virtually every industry, but it has no place being used in the creation of anime, and fans will ultimately reject it. It is not capable of creating anime of the same caliber as human artists, nor will it ever be. Everyone pushing AI into anime right now is simply being cringe, and that’s how everyone will be describing them for attempting this in just a few years.

No AI Anime Will Ever Be as Good as the Masterpiece Anime Created by Humans

Art is not just content; it is a form of expression. Despite what advocates of AI like to claim, there is no separating the distinct creative process that goes into creating art from the finished product. Any and all attempts to do this will inevitably lead to disaster, especially in a medium like anime, as AI cannot pull from personal experiences in order to craft a gripping, relatable story with lovable characters and impactful themes, filled with little animation flourishes that aren’t necessarily needed. Despite being branded as “artificial intelligence,” all modern AI programs can do is pull information from pre-existing sources in order to create something new; they are literally incapable of doing anything that’s actually original and filled with heart.

Earlier this year, the first true attempt at an AI anime, a 24-minute short-film entitled Twins Hinahima, was released. To absolutely no one’s surprise, the anime was panned by both critics and audiences alike. Its art and animation are abysmal, its characters and story are clearly nothing more than mashed together tropes and concepts that have proven popular in recent years, and which provide in-universe explanations for the film looking so shoddy, and absolutely none of it leaves any kind of impact. AI may be capable of slapping a colorful, messy filter over rotoscoped scenes, and of clumsily assembling a nonsensical script, but it cannot create anything even remotely resembling modern anime masterpieces like The Apothecary Diaries or Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, let alone timeless classics like the works of Studio Ghibli.

Anime Fans Will Lose Interest in the Idea of AI Anime Long Before Any Official Series or Movies Can be Made

Despite all the hype around it, the current capabilities of AI, especially when it comes to creating art, are vastly overblown. While there has been massive progress in the world of AI over the past few years, it has been noticeably slowing down as of late, with many in the tech industry believing that it’s peaking, and that the entire AI bubble is going to burst before long. If there is even a kernel of truth to these ideas, then AI stands absolutely zero chance of gaining a foothold in the anime industry.

AI, in its current state, is hopelessly incapable of creating anime. Twins Hinahima was promoted as being 95% made by AI, but this isn’t even true. 95% of its cuts were made using AI, but there was actually a great deal of human involvement in its production. From its writing to its animation, human artists were involved at nearly every step. Without human artistry, even a product as uninspired and poorly made as Twins Hinahima couldn’t be made. Currently, most animation studios are more concerned with using AI to streamline their production processes, as opposed to using it to create anime whole-cloth, but if Twins Hinahima proves anything, it’s that, on a quality level, these companies would be better off maintaining their fully human workforces. AI has such a gargantuan amount of growth to do before it can truly replicate the work of humans, and there’s no chance it’ll get where it needs to be before AI is left behind in the garbage bin of history.

Anime, as fans know it today, has existed for over 60 years. And, while the medium has changed a great deal throughout the decades, one thing that has remained consistent is every series and movie, no matter how good or bad, has had a distinct human touch that has contributed to its quality and uniqueness. AI, by its very nature of only being able to copy from humans, will never be able to replicate this and, as such, will never be an effective means of creating new anime.