Filmmaker Jorge Gutierrez says he won’t be making a hybrid generative AI collection with Amazon in any case.
The Maya and the Three and The E book of Life director wrote on social media on Friday that he was dropping out of a Punky Duck collection that had been introduced at Amazon’s AI on the Lot occasion just two days earlier.
“I have decided to drop out of the AI program at Amazon. I will not be making a Punky Duck series. Actions speak louder than words,” the filmmaker wrote on social media. “My intent was to showcase artists, both new and seasoned, both inside and outside the studios, driving this new tech. My sincerest apology to those I upset. I promise to do better moving forward. Thank you for your patience with me. I will try harder.”
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Amazon for remark.
A boldfaced title in animation, Gutierrez was the highest-profile director related to a undertaking rising from Amazon’s new GenAI Creators Fund. His Punky Duck collection was set to comply with “a lovable punk duck and his best friend, Smiley Cat” as they “tear through a wildly exaggerated Los Angeles, hilariously stumbling into alien invasions, giant monsters, robot criminal conspiracies, telenovela-style family drama, and supernatural mayhem—all while trying (and usually failing) to do the right thing.”
His remarks comply with criticism from one other creator whose work was introduced in affiliation with the initiative. On Wednesday, the creator of the star of Buzzfeed Studios’ Good Recommendation Cupcake slammed the company for partnering with Amazon on a generative AI collection adaptation of her creation. Loryn Brantz mentioned she was “horrified and disgusted by BuzzFeed taking my character, The Good Advice Cupcake, and giving it to an AI platform.”
Gutierrez hinted that he was rethinking the choice in a social media submit on Thursday, telling followers that he had “lots of information that I’m digesting wholeheartedly” amid backlash to his affiliation with GenAI Creators Fund. He added, “I am absolutely understanding the concern of using AI to assist an animation pipeline. For all those showing me grace, I really appreciate it. I have a lot to think about.” The submit was adopted by many feedback against using AI in animation.
Many within the animation neighborhood are suspicious of and ethically conflicted about generative AI instruments. In an interview with THR earlier within the week, Albert Cheng, the top of AI Studios for Amazon MGM Studios, mentioned that the GenAI Creators Fund discovered animation tasks by receiving referrals from the Amazon animation workforce and brokers conscious of filmmakers curious in regards to the expertise. “You kind of wanted to have people who are leaning into it or curious. Not a whole lot of people are,” Cheng admitted.
