Artificial intelligence generated content (AIGC) became one of the most talked-about topics at the 20th China International Cartoon and Animation Festival.
AIGC refers to images and videos generated by using AI. At this year's festival that ran from Wednesday to Sunday, many companies and products have integrated AIGC into their offerings.
"Players can upload a favorite opera performance video, and AI will immediately analyze actions, sounds, and even subtle expressions. We even use a large language model to generate characters that fit the roles in the opera," said Wang Nianzhong, a staff member at NetEase Games.
The development of AIGC has also caught the attention of industry leaders and researchers. How to utilize AIGC and address its impact has become a hot topic.
"AIGC brings a technological revolution to the animation industry like we have never seen before. This revolution is different from the smaller ones that happened previously, as it introduces new application scenarios. The reason why AIGC is important is that it has brought about changes in creation. In the past, whether it was 2D or 3D animation, and regardless of whether the tool used was a pencil or a computer, the basic paradigm was that people operated the tool. They would then create the content bit by bit according to their own wishes. As a result, animation has always been a labor-intensive industry," said Wang Lei, dean of the Animation and Digital Arts School at the Communication University of China.
Of course, AI still has many shortcomings in terms of originality -- which also prompts practitioners to consider what kind of animation-creation cannot be replaced by AI.
"The weakest point of AI is its lack of originality. While it churns out similar things in art forms like music, creating original and unique works in fields like painting and animation is a challenge for AI. However, on the flip side, artists' job is to fill the gap left by AI by creating original and more humanistic things, which is the mission of artists," said Sadao Tsukioka, chairman of the Japan Animation Association.
More and more AIGC is being applied in creation, causing major shifts in the entire industry. While for top creators AI is more of a tool, for the vast majority of animation practitioners, the challenges brought by AI are just beginning.
AIGC may reshape animation industry: experts
