AI's Impact within Film and Animation
- Art By Humans
- Oct 20
- 6 min read
The impact of AI in film is perhaps one of the most visible, widespread, and controversial in recent days. Given the high price tag that production requires, it stands to be changed in profound ways unique to this medium. Let’s talk a bit about what’s going on with film — including animation — and how artists are responding to the infiltration of artificial intelligence within their craft.
It almost sounds like a dream come true — save hours of time without needing to sync schedules of actors and production staff, and slash costs to a fraction of what they were before. That’s what AI is allowing for filmmakers —aspiring and seasoned alike — to be able to do. But the price is surely paid elsewhere, and upon whom does it fall?
People typically rush to say that A-list actors will never be replaced, since they serve as selling points for a movie and ultimately serve as cultural cornerstones as well. In short, they’re not going anywhere because we, the people, don’t want them to -- and it's also in the developers' best interests. Yet, it’s not as simple as that — and to focus only on the most visible aspects of the film industry overlooks the vast infrastructure it takes to prop these notable names up in the first place. At the end of the day, not even they are free from its influence — and we’ll get more into this later on. In short, we’re continuing to see ongoing shifts in its implementation - and in turn, its changing impact on all members of the film community.
When the first whispers of artificial intelligence in the industry came about, so much of its focus was on the writer’s room — which, in my eyes, is the heartbeat of any creative endeavor. Given the quality of ChatGPT’s outputs, as well as the speed with which it can create content, these writers were the first to feel its effects — long before we saw its implementation on screen. From there, we watched a series of events unfold, with the most notable of them all being a strike unlike anything we'd seen in the last fifteen years.
The magnitude of this instance was quite unlike anything before it, as it addressed a sincere existential threat to film as we’ve always known it. Although concessions were made toward a more secure future for writers, this of course only covered one aspect of its implementation. Nevertheless, it was a signal of the attitudes that the industry held about AI’s presence broadly, which were encouraging at the time. Two years have since passed, and now we’ve seen it implemented in award-winning movies with its applications continuing to grow in unexpected and concerning ways.
More recently, it's been used to perfect the accent of actors' speech in another language, as noted with Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones’ characters in the movie The Brutalist. Director Paul Schrader admits to using ChatGPT to come up with ideas for his movie “Taxi Driver”, along with using it to adjust his writing. Its most common application surrounds some of the more tedious editing work — which is where many hoped this sort of technology would be used, and where it would continue to stay.
However, we continue to see its use affect even the parts we felt were too human to be touched in the first place. Circling back to those A-list actors — we’ve recently found that even their likeness can be altered as well, which has major implications for aspiring actors of all ages. For example, actors Tom Hanks and Robin Wright have had AI used to make themselves appear as younger versions of themselves in the recent movie “Here”. Although yet to be implemented within a feature film, Tencent’s new open-source AI video model, known as Hunyan Video, has been able to demonstrate its abilities by face-swapping actor Adam Scott with Keanu Reeves in a surprisingly convincing manner.
All this to say — even those in the most visible roles are susceptible to its use. In these instances, you may not consider them “negatives” -- in fact, getting to hang on to more roles that you had from a younger time sounds like a plus. But for talented actors who may be resigned to having their presence used as a prop for a more well-known person, instead of having the chance to shine themselves? That makes for a difficult path forward. Factor in AI’s projected use in eliminating background characters, which help build important connections to production staff and other aspiring actors -- and inevitably toward minor roles that help build portfolios — and you can see how the path toward more secure roles can become exceedingly difficult to secure.
Another important aspect of film, of course, is the world of animation. Although some ethical machine learning aspects have been developed — such as those used within the latest animated Spider-man movie — the effects of AI upon nearly every aspect of the development process continue to reshape the industry in ways that bring ongoing concern to some of the world's most talented creatives.
Following the writers’ strike, the animation guild was due to negotiate their own contracts shortly thereafter. They watched writers secure the prevention of forced use of AI in their work, along with barring AI from using their works to further train their algorithms. With actors, AI was not to be allowed to generate their in voice or form without their permission, with proceeds to be awarded to them even posthumously. As for animators, the key takeaway was instead the assurance that producers would meet with animators to discuss AI’s use and go over possible alternatives -- a gesture that provides no guarantees, regardless of how mindful it may sound. Furthermore, animators did not have the same option to protect their work from being included in AI algorithm training, which is foundational to the entire issue at hand.
As for its gradual proliferation in the world of animation, Alex Hirsch, known as the creator of Gravity Falls, states the ease with which illustrative and 3D-modeled work can be affected compared to real-life subjects. Since the main hurdle of crossing the uncanny valley is not an object like it is within live-action, its implementation is much more suited to the world of animation. He states knowledge of visual development artists being fired in lieu of Midjourney's quick results, which are then sifted through by only one or two artists to create a graphic North Star for the production to follow. He emphasizes how the above contract does nothing to protect artists from being sidelined in this way.
Thankfully, there are some protections in place -- for instance, one of the biggest assets for an animated show lies in its ability to properly market its merchandise. Since the US Copyright office has ruled that AI-generated material cannot be granted a copyright except where a human author has determined sufficient expressive elements, this provides enough grey area for studios to be wary about over-dependence on its use, especially as far as sales may be impacted.
With all this being said, what can aspiring film developers and animators do to carry onward? First of all, keep in mind that no matter how much is going on — or how quickly things are changing — there is no replacement for the foundational skills that you must embody in order to excel in the world of a professional artist. It is very much worth understanding the nuts and bolts of your craft, and will be central to your success. As mentioned with visual artists, consumers will be interested in knowing that you possess the abilities that reliably identify you as a legitimate talent and visionary within the arts.
Furthermore, seek ways to support human-centered works, which are becoming more numerous as people search for authenticity during the rise of AI. One such example is Justine Bateman’s Credo 23 Film Festival, which features works that do not feature AI enhancement in any way. (Submissions are open until December, which serves as a great opportunity to put your producer’s hat on and get to work!) Furthermore, some titles are proudly displaying their use of hand-drawn animation in these times, such as the upcoming Sekiro: No Defeat series scheduled to release in 2026. Be sure that as more opportunities arise for supporting human artists, we’ll be sure to include them here for you.
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