Why Netflix and Wit Studio’s new short is so controversial

Netflix and Wit Studio are the animators behind animation company Spy x Family Attack on TitanThey have just released a short film. Titled “The Dog & The Boy,” the short follows a boy who discovers a robotic dog before they’re separated by a great tragedy. It’s emotional and cute, but the most noteworthy thing about this short isn’t the storyline — it’s the fact that the backgrounds were generated by artificial intelligence.

The Netflix Japan tweet about the short explains that this method is “an experimental effort to help the anime industry, which has a labor shortage.” A blog post on the Netflix Japan site goes into more detail about the process.

The topic of using AI to make art has come under fire in recent months. Many artists are expressing concern about the rise in popularity of tools such as DALL-E and Midjourney and Free AI Art Generator. They also discuss how they can use their artwork without their consent. These are the results. #SupportHumanArtistsAI was brought to our attention by a movement called “The Ethics of AI Use”

There are many Twitter users who have called out NetflixWIT Studio, for this short movie and the possibility to use AI tools as background artists. Japan’s animation industry is already facing many problems, including the underpayment of animators.