On Tuesday, March 26, 2024, Reiji Miyajima, the creator, author, and illustrator of Rent-A-Girlfriend, shared an AI-generated image of one of their characters on their X account. The character depicted in the image is Chizuru Mizuhara, also known as Chizuru Ichinose, who is most likely recognized from the cover of the first volume of the series.
Despite Miyajima’s emphasis on instructing the AI to only use his own work as a reference, fans are still disturbed by the Rent-A-Girlfriend mangaka’s decision to incorporate the drawing. This disappointment is largely due to the ongoing controversy surrounding the use of AI in the anime and manga industry, as the technology continues to gain widespread acceptance.
Rent-A-Girlfriend creator faces backlash for implementing AI in series, despite ethical considerations
As previously stated, Miyajima clarifies in their tweet that they specifically directed the AI to only use his artwork as a reference when creating Chizuru Mizuhara. The creator of Rent-A-Girlfriend even mentions that they have recently developed an interest in artificial intelligence technology, indicating that they may not be familiar with the controversy surrounding it.
Despite being solely based on Miyajima’s artwork, the image remains evidently generated by AI, with several noticeable clues such as uneven shading and lighting, excessive illustration lines, and other discrepancies. A major indication of this can be seen in Chizuru’s left eye in the posted image, where the lining and shading appear to be doubled or even tripled.
Despite some variations in coloring throughout the drawing, particularly in Chizuru’s hair, the overall image is clearly generated by AI. This may be a contributing factor to the disappointment expressed by fans. However, it appears that the criticism towards Miyajima is more rooted in philosophical differences rather than dissatisfaction with the AI art’s actual quality.
Despite the proper use of the AI tool by the Rent-A-Girlfriend mangaka, Miyajima’s post has ignited a debate within the broader anime and manga communities about the incorporation of AI in the industry. While some anime series have already utilized AI for translation purposes, none of the leading titles have openly disclosed their use of AI-generated art at the time of writing this article.
On the other hand, utilizing AI for creative purposes, such as creating artwork or narratives, is a separate matter from basic translations. Additionally, Miyajima’s implementation of the technology is deemed ethical as he only used it as a reference for his own artwork in Rent-A-Girlfriend.
Despite one of the main criticisms of AI art being that it borrows from human artists, there is still a valid argument for its use in creating artwork. This ethical implementation could also offer creators more opportunities for rest and rejuvenation from their arduous work.
Despite using the mangaka’s own art as a reference, there is uncertainty as to whether they are truly involved in the artistic process. This is particularly true if AI images are utilized without any human intervention or editing. While fans do not currently have to worry, they may soon have to question whether their beloved mangas are being solely created by their original authors.
Fans are divided in their opinions regarding Studio Ghibli-inspired Naruto AI art, with some praising it while others ridicule it.
Despite facing criticism from anime conventions and the fandom, AI-generated art continues to gain attention.
Fans will be surprised by Junji Ito’s sincere perspective on AI’s domination of the anime and manga industry.
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