As everyone knows, Akira is known as one of the best science fiction films in history, and its animation has inspired millions to this day. So, of course, debate was bound to arise on social media when a fan created a remaster of Akira with the help of AI ( Artificial Intelligence ).
Akira – Artificial intelligence recreates scenes from the film and provokes outrage
The whole story begins when Eric Groza went to Instagram to share an AI-derived project he put together at home. He took Akira and applied Adobe's Beta AI anime film's appearance on screen.
View this photo on Instagram
Specifically, they wanted to give Akira a better format for vertical screens, so they connected images of Akira to Adobe's emerging software.
“Using Adobe’s Beta AI, I was able to extend the 16x9 backgrounds into a fully vertical shot. Finished in the art style of the original background paintings. Then I recomposed the scenes and edited them as an additional video layer. Why is this a big deal? Because this isn’t a blurry, out-of-focus photo, it’s a distinct style that the AI was able to replicate after a lot of tweaking and trial and error,” Groza shared.
“That’s why true artists will learn to love AI. … Brands, productions, and animation studios often crop a horizontal image to create a vertical format – which cuts out some of the action and usually reduces image quality. For artists, it means they can enhance their style and scale their work. It’s a win for the creative individual who wants to do more with their own hands.”
As you can imagine, some tech executives were eager to see how this AI performed, but many others were not satisfied with the review. The unofficial remaster plays with the intentional layout and composition that Otomo approved when creating Akira. On social media, this short video posted on Instagram reignited the war between AI and anime, as industry caution mounts. Ultimately, with divisive working conditions, anime creators are worried about how AI might overtake the industry, and tests like this are leaving a bad taste in their mouths.
Source: Eric Groza
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