Watch Hayao Miyazaki Discuss How AI CG Animation Is "An Insult To Life Itself"
Hayao Miyazaki, the legendary director who brought us animated films such as Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke, was recently shown a presentation for AI CG animation technology, and he wasn't impressed at all. In fact, he was completely offended by it!
The experimental animation AI program basically learns how to animate after it observes a human model. Their goal is to build a machine that can draw just like humans do. The presentation was conducted by the CGI team from the Dwango Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, which included Dwango’s president Nobuo Kawakami, who is a trainee producer at Studio Ghibli and board director from Studio Khara.
After Miyazaki was shown the presentation, he didn't hold back his feelings and said that he felt "utterly disgusted" by it and it was "an insult to life itself." He went on to say that he would never incorporate this kind of technology into his work.
You can see the team there just uncomfortably sweating bullets as Miyazaki tears their technology to pieces. After Miyazaki is done with his rant, Kawakami confusedly looks around stunned and says, "This is just our experiment." I mean, what can you really say after a legendary artist and animation master tell you how offended he is by what he just saw?
All I can say is that I'm glad it wasn't me! You can feel the crazy uncomfortable tension in the room when watching the video below.
Hayao Miyazaki doesn't have time for your dehumanizing, virtual bullshit. The greatest thing I've seen in 2016. Via @panoscosmatos pic.twitter.com/XgfexEwSKn
— Aaron Stewart-Ahn (@somebadideas) December 9, 2016