Artificial intelligences like ChatGPT and DALL-E 2 have much of the art world with mixed feelings. Now, an anime under the name of The Dog & The Boy has only increased these emotions. It is a Netflix Japan project that uses artificial intelligence to supply labor.
Netflix Japan used the power of artificial intelligence to paint the backgrounds of the anime The Dog & The Boy. It is an approach that describe as “experimental”, with the intention of “helping the anime industry, which has a shortage of manpower”. That is why all the background images of this anime have been generated by a company based on generating art through AI.
The original press release describes Netflix Anime Creators Base as the creator of the short film. This company was created with the aim of strengthening anime production for the company, also using innovative methods and tools. Thus, relying on Rinna Inc —art company generated by AI—, and WIT Studio, producer of the popular anime Attack on Titan, they gave life to The Dog & The Boy.
The Dog & The Boy presents us with some impressive landscapes; both urban and natural. At the end of the trailer, Netflix Japan shows us a bit of the procedure to obtain these images. First of all, we see the scene drawn by hand. Later, an artificial intelligence-generated version of the same scene appears.
Netflix アニメ ・ クリエイターズ ベース ベース × 技術 開発 の rinna 株式 会社 × Wit Studio による 共同 プロジェクト 『犬 と 少年』 の ショート ムービー。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。
人手 不足 アニメ 業界 を 補助 する 実験 な 取り組み とし て 、 3 分間 の 全 カット の 背景 に 画像 生成 技術 技術 を 活用！ pic.twitter.com/GYuWONSqlJ
—Netflix Japan |ネットフリックス (@NetflixJP) January 31, 2023
Artificial intelligence becomes main artist in this Netflix anime
Picture of The Dog & The Boy, the new Netflix anime that relies on artificial intelligence
How could it be otherwise, Netflix Japan has received a harsh barrage of criticism after publishing the video with the first images of The Dog & The Boy. Many users are upset by what they describe as a move by Netflix to avoid paying real-life artists. Others question the shortage the company describes in the tweet, given that there are plenty of artists looking for work around the globe.
Many users have dismissed this practice as unethical. And although you have to agree with them on certain points, the truth is that the result achieved by artificial intelligence is first class.
The anime industry is, by itself, quite controversial. From minimum wages to exorbitant work times. Now it seems that we will also have to add another concern to the list, and that is the black hole of artificial intelligence, both in labor rights and in copyright.
It is not the first time that artificial intelligence has been the center of controversy in the art world. Several months ago, an art contest entrant submitted an illustration produced by AI Midjourney, winning first place in the competition.