In a recent march through Hollywood, actor and director Mark Gray held a sign that simply read, “No A.I.” This sentiment is becoming quite common as concerns grow about AI’s role in the film industry, especially when it comes to animation. At the 2025 Oscars, Conan O’Brien joked, “we did not use AI to make this show,” tapping into a trend where AI is being used for more than just voice tweaks and stunt double enhancements.
Alex Hirsch, who created Disney’s Gravity Falls, points out that AI is gaining ground in animation because “it’s easier to replicate something that looks unreal than it is to replicate something that looks real.” This idea ties into the “uncanny valley” concept, which suggests that AI struggles with human-like depictions but handles non-human characters like cartoons or aliens more effectively.
Animation pitches often require visual representations to get the green light, which speeds up AI’s adoption. Ashley Cullins from The Ankler notes that AI can streamline character design, making what used to be a labor-intensive process much quicker. Producers might even replace whole storyboard teams with one artist managing AI outputs. Storyboard artist Sam Tung recognizes AI’s speed and cost benefits, but he also points out that these images can lack originality, drawing from a massive database of existing art.
Artists have responded with lawsuits against AI for copyright infringement, worried that studios might choose imitation over innovation. Hirsch believes that art should be a human exchange, not just an algorithmic output. The release of Chat GPT in late 2022 only heightened AI concerns, especially during the 2023 Hollywood strikes. Writers were anxious about AI-written scripts taking their jobs, while actors feared unauthorized AI-generated uses of their likeness.
The Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA managed to secure protections against AI misuse. Unfortunately, the Animation Guild’s efforts didn’t fully succeed, leaving studios with the right to insist on AI use. This has led to some animators losing jobs as studios lean towards AI-enhanced processes. Despite these advancements, AI-generated films are still limited by copyright laws, which require human authorship for certain protections. This keeps studios cautious about fully AI-driven projects.
