MAPPA CEO Manabu Otsuka won't rule out using AI, but is adamant the "creative process has to come from people."
Otsuka, the head of the animation studio that has brought us the likes of Chainsaw Man, Attack on Titan, and Jujutsu Kaisen, revealed to AnimeCorner that he has a pragmatic outlook on AI as a tool – but little more than that.
"Whether it’s digital tools, 3D, or indeed AI – to me, all of these are ultimately tools, and nothing more than tools," Otsuka said.
"Quality that moves people emotionally can only come from human beings – it has to be people who create it. That is my fundamental belief."
Otsuka then laid out his plans in evaluating which tools to use in the artistic process. For the CEO, it's more about efficiency than robbing creative talent of their agency.
"So the real question is simply: which tools do you use, how, and to what appropriate degree? That’s something we’ll keep exploring continuously," Otsuka said. "Tools can, at most, serve to make workflows more efficient, but the creative process has to come from people."
AI in anime has come under the microscope in the past few years, in line with the emergence and growth of generative AI models and chatbots such as Claude and ChatGPT.
While the likes of Banana Fish came under fire for its use of its later-removed AI dub, there has been a sudden and dramatic sea change in industry leaders speaking out against AI.
Crunchyroll CEO Rahul Purini said earlier this year it was "not that difficult" to avoid using AI in anime, while director Toma Kimura made it clear that "no gen AI" was used in his Ghost in the Shell remake.
MAPPA, meanwhile, has plenty on its plate – Chainsaw Man season 2 and Jujutsu Kaisen season 4 are both in production.
For more, check out the new anime currently in the works elsewhere.
