Animator Hayao Miyazaki, creator of legendary films “Princess Mononoke” and “Spirited Away,” has brutally criticized a demo animation made by artificial intelligence.
Setting his eyes on a bizarre, zombie-ish model that “doesn’t feel any pain and has no concept of protecting its head,” Miyazaki reacted candidly.
He told the team of presenters (via IndieWire):
“Thinking of him, I can’t watch this stuff and find [it] interesting. Whoever creates this stuff has no idea what pain is whatsoever.”
The Studio Ghibli director was referring to a disabled friend who can’t even high-five. He went on to comment:
“I am utterly disgusted. If you really want to make creepy stuff, you can go ahead and do it. I would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all.”
Presenters had blank faces after Miyazaki’s comments, but the 75-year-old artist wasn’t done yet:
“I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself.”
In defense, the presenters claimed that it was only an experiment and did not mean anything by showing it. Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki then asked them what their goal is, to which they replied:
“We would like to build a machine that can draw pictures like humans do.”
At this point, Miyazaki had enough:
“I feel like we are nearing to the end of the times. We humans are losing faith in ourselves.”
Miyazaki’s commentary is part of a documentary series titled “NHK Special: Hayao Miyazaki — The One Who Never Ends.”
