The Impact of AI on Japanese Culture and the Anime Industry
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a significant part of Japanese culture, particularly in the anime industry. However, recent surveys reveal that Japan is hesitant to develop its generative AI models; it invests in hardware robotics to create Doraemon characters in real life but not in deep learning and generative AI models. The Namura Research Institute survey revealed that 61% of Japanese people are aware of generative AI, but only 9% have used it. Despite SoftBank's partnership with OpenAI, the Japanese are still skeptical and hesitant to use AI in their routine lives.
The anime industry is one of the major sectors that is in turmoil due to AI, as technology has drained the Japanese economy and destroyed a major part of its culture. A 2024 survey revealed that 87.4% of high school students and 85.6% of university students watch anime, which is a part of their childhood, society, and culture. Manga, with almost 6.74 million self-identified Japanese manga otaku, is another industry that is in turmoil due to AI. Companies like EIS and Reena are using AI to create storyboards, character models, and basic animation sequences. Small creators are using technology to generate anime images and upload them on the internet for profit, without caring about Japanese culture or the process of creating art by hand. This mindset is slowly turning the anime industry from hand-drawn emotional beauty to a cold and stylistically imperfect industry.
AIs have destroyed a major part of Japanese culture by polluting the anime industry, replacing calm and warm voices with cold AI and emotional illustrations with robotic ones. Job losses and intellectual theft are becoming common in Japan, as AI across creative industries threatens a core Japanese social value. Japan is one of the safest countries in the world, as its people believe that harmony is a social responsibility. With AI in the anime or manga industry, they are facing potential unemployment. Voiceover artists are scared that AI voice generators such as Synth Studio will replace their jobs, and their fear is becoming true. Studios have reported a 70% reduction in labor as AI can generate in-between animation frames. In addition, 58% of illustrators and writers fear job loss, and 50% of background artists have also lost their jobs.
Japanese studios cannot completely shift to generative AI, as they have to keep human elements in their art and creativity to retain their consumers. They are also scared of copyright issues, cheating, and cyber crimes, as websites like ChatGPT and Gemini use personal information for training their models or selling it to other companies for money. This concern makes Japanese students scared of overusing ChatGPT and prefer security over convenience.
The older generation in Japan is quite strict in this regard, as they don't like seeing the young generation rely on AI for intellectual work. Many artists and writers have complained about the theft of their intellectual work due to AI, and these types of cases are becoming common in Japan.
The concept of Shokunin Kishitsu, or the art of making things with care, precision, and pride, is central to Japanese culture. AI-generated images stand in stark contrast to Japan's culture, and the lack of craftsmanship in the illustration industry is upsetting to many Japanese people. These reviews from craftsmanship lovers are making the capitalist world of Japan worried and hesitant to invest heavily in generative AI.
About the Writer
Jenny, the tech wiz behind Jenny's Online Blog, loves diving deep into the latest technology trends, uncovering hidden gems in the gaming world, and analyzing the newest movies. When she's not glued to her screen, you might find her tinkering with gadgets or obsessing over the latest sci-fi release.What do you think of this blog? Write down at the COMMENT section below.
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