When Hayao Miyazaki called AI animation “an insult to life itself”
In the ever-shifting and glorious world of the animation medium, there lies one name forever carved into its monolithic Ozymandias-like statue: the one, the only, the inimitable Hayao Miyazaki. The Studio Ghibli icon has delivered countless breathtaking stories that transport audiences away to places beyond their wildest imaginations.
From the ghostly onsen of Spirited Away to the gorgeous vistas and cosy interiors of Howl’s Moving Castle, time and time again, Miyazaki has crafted worlds, characters and stories with the effortless grace of a true master. His Ghibli movies are like dreams unto themselves and have forever been woven into the fabric of animation itself.
However, the very art of animation is at risk, as are many of the creative industries, from the advent of AI technologies, which persistently threaten to overtake genuine human work. When Miyazaki was shown what AI might be able to do for animation, he was sickened, and what had been intended to impress the Japanese film icon had the opposite effect.
“Every morning, not in recent days, I see my friend who has a disability,” Miyazaki began after being shown a horrifying image of a monster-like creature crawling on the floor. “It’s so hard for him just to do a high five; his arm with stiff muscle can’t reach out to my hand. Now, thinking of him, I can’t watch this stuff and find it interesting. Whoever creates this stuff has no idea what pain is.”
The animation legend went on to further express his disdain for such technology. “I am utterly disgusted,” he said. “If you really want to make creepy stuff, you can go ahead and do it, but I would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all. I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself.”
At that point, it’s left to the shocked presenter of the animation to try and find a justification for the technology, noting, “This is just our experiment. We don’t intend to do anything by showing it to the world.” Miyazaki’s frequent collaborator Toshio Suzuki then asked what the precise aim of the group was, to which someone replied, “We want to build a machine that can draw pictures as humans do.”
That was Miyazaki’s cue to deliver his overarching and damning verdict on AI: “I feel like we are nearing the end of times. We humans are losing faith in ourselves.” As AI is further incorporated not only in the realms of animation but in many parts of human life, the Studio Ghibli legend must be fearing the worst for us all.
Check out the clip below.
