“Regarding the Use of AI-Generated Images in a Dr. STONE Anime Collaboration” (1/2)
Recently, we were faced with a situation in which a company collaborating with the Dr. STONE anime used AI-generated images in its advertising.
Many of you who love Dr. STONE on X took this issue seriously and spoke up about it.
The collaborating company also issued an official apology.
All of this was made possible by you. Yes, Truly!
Your presence, and the love you have for manga, mangaka, and the works themselves, is what made me decide to share my artwork on X again after eleven months.
https://t.co/51zorAqObJ
You are also the reason things are different now from the days when the internet was a jungle.
You are people who are willing to stand up against anything in the world to protect works created through human lives, human effort, and human dedication.
I sincerely thank you.
Thank you so much!
However, separate from my gratitude and the way this particular incident was handled, I do not oppose the use of AI by companies collaborating with anime productions.
To be clear, not opposing something does not mean supporting it in any way.
I am neither in favor of it nor against it.
My position is entirely personal and has absolutely nothing to do with the views of Inagaki-sensei, the original story writer of Dr. STONE, or Shonen Jump and Shueisha.
That is why, this time as well, all I did was send links to your tweets to my editor at Jump.
I made no other comments and took no further action.
Why do I hold this position?
And why do I refrain from making comments or taking a stance?
Why, when I once went so far as to stop taking medication for a chronic illness and give up meals in protest against social media companies' unauthorized AI training on artists' work and their use of it, do I take such a different position on this particular incident?
There are two reasons I want to share with you.
First, when it comes to collaborations involving my own works, if there is an agreement and prior consultation regarding the use of AI, I do not oppose it.
As I have said many times, I like AI technology and have an optimistic outlook on its potential.
What I do not like is being robbed and humiliated.
I do not like theft or humiliation, whether it is committed by a corporation or an individual, regardless of what technology is involved.
That is why, if there is an agreement and mutual understanding, I do not oppose it.
But that does not mean I like it.
I may not like it, but I do not oppose it either.
Collaboration businesses do not exist to serve my personal wishes.
A work is like a child and it does not exist to live for the sake of its parents.
It lives its own life.
And sometimes, things happen that its parents may not like.
Collaborations are undertaken for the benefit of the collaborating companies.
So, if someone asks me whether they can use AI for a collaboration involving one of my works, my answer would be, "I really, really don't like it."
But that is not the same as opposing it.
The second reason is even more important.
The company involved in the AI-generated images that sparked this controversy is not a collaborator on the original manga.
It is a collaborator on the anime adaptation.
As the original manga creator, I have no intention of taking a position or making any demands regarding this matter.
Once again, I want to emphasize that this is my own personal position and has nothing to do with Inagaki-sensei's views.
Furthermore, Shueisha and Jump are entitled to express their own views and make their own demands regarding collaborations involving the anime.
This is because publishers and magazines do far more than simply administer rights and share copyright revenue.
To be continued.
El autor del manga sobre ruina financiera “FX Fighter Kurumi-chan” vivió su propia tragedia en la vida real tras perder más de 5,000 dólares en un solo día por el colapso de la bolsa japonesa, publicando la captura de su cuenta con el mensaje “El fin”.
Demunyan basó la trama de su obra en sus propios fracasos financieros, que acumulan pérdidas históricas por casi 100,000 dólares a lo largo de 18 años en el mercado.
Aunque en septiembre presumió que por primera vez sus números estaban en verde, el reciente desplome del índice Nikkei volvió a hundirlo en la misma historia que lleva años dibujando en su manga.
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