We Need To Talk About... AI

You can't go anywhere these days without hearing something about Artificial Intelligence. AI crops up in the most unexpected places, as we are constantly told it's going to change everything. It may well have some very useful applications in spheres like medicine and science. But its encroachment on the arts and entertainment industries is more controversial. Its use in animation is increasing all the time. With the number of emails we are getting from AI "animators" increasing, we thought it was time we made our policy on it clear.

We won't feature, review or otherwise cover films or series made with AI, or that are "AI-assisted". We won't be interviewing any AI "filmmakers" or running trailers for AI movies. Of course, we will also try to avoid including any AI-created artwork, although their "artists" aren't always honest about where they came from. AI-generated articles are obviously a no-no. So, if you've made an AI "animation" that you're really proud of, please don't waste your time in sending it to us. It's just going to go in the trash.

Why are we taking such a hard-line stance? Our reasons are nothing new and familiar to anyone who is opposed to AI in general. Most basically, AI is not animation. Animation is by definition, created by humans, frame by frame. Even if that human is using a computer, it's just a tool. AI is not just a tool, because the computer does everything for you. Sure, a human may write the prompts, but it doesn't count. It doesn't make you a filmmaker, an artist or an animator. It makes you a programmer at most.

AI, specifically Generative AI works by being trained on existing content. In other words, it takes the works of others (films, books, artwork, photos and more) without their permission and uses them to generate new content. It's copyright theft on a truly unprecedented scale. And often supported by the same people who have spent the past 20 years crying about the great evils of piracy.

AI is going to cost people their jobs. As soon as some top exec figures out they can replace any part of the creative process with a computer, they are going to do it. Funny how nobody talks about replacing CEOs with AI- they have to be human, apparently.

Aside from all these ethical concerns, there are even bigger issues. Like the fact that AI is extremely harmful to the environment. Basically, everything we do creates emissions, even streaming video. But generative AI has an outsized impact, with the required Data Centres requiring massive amounts of energy to run and using a massive amount of water for cooling. This is the exact opposite of what we need to be doing in the midst of a global climate crisis.

Oh, and then there's the small matter that some experts believe there's a non-zero percent chance of AI going full Skynet and wiping out all life on Earth. According to one cheerful prediction, "there's a 10% chance AI could wipe us out in the next 10 years". 

Ultimately, we feel that AI is as it stands, more of a threat to the animation industry rather than something that could revolutionise it. If it is truly embraced by the major studios, it will be much harder to avoid. But we are sure as hell aren't going to do anything to support or encourage it.

We're not luddites or anti-technology, but feel that AI as it is used today has a negative effect on the medium we love. We're not saying we'll never mention AI again; it might come up from time to time. But overall, we don't consider it to be in our wheelhouse.

Of course, you're free to disagree, and maybe you think it's liberating and democratising art. But our decision is made.

And one thing's for sure: we're certainly never going to call it Super Intelligence.