The manga creator, Rootport, will release a manga, Cyberpunk: Peach John, that is entirely created by artificial intelligence (AI) on Thursday. Rootport entered keywords such as “pink hair,” “Asian boy,” and “jacket” to generate the main character’s image in about a minute using the Midjourney program, which appeared last year.
Rootport then assembled the best results on a comic page to create the manga in six weeks, which would typically take a confirmed artist a year. The manga is causing concern for employment and copyright in the lucrative industry.
<img src=”https://gostart.biz/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/manga-dessin-main-crayon.jpg” alt=”Where the artist takes months to create their characters, the AI does it in minutes. © Oleksandr, Adobe Stock” width=”1024″ height=”682″ /> Where the artist takes months to create their characters, the AI does it in minutes. © Oleksandr, Adobe Stock
Controversies in Copyright
The US-developed Midjourney program has quickly gained worldwide success with its fantastic and often shockingly sophisticated creations, causing many artists to question their profession. Start-up Stable Diffusion has been sued for “feeding” its AI with copyrighted documents, and in Japan, some lawmakers have raised concerns about the possibility of copyright violations. However, according to experts, copyright infringement is unlikely if the AI’s creations are derived from simple text commands.
<img src=”https://gostart.biz/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/manga-intelligence-artificielle20192020px.jpg” alt=”An AI is far too obedient to know how to create anatomical exaggerations and especially to have a sense of humor. © AmeriCantaro, Adobe Stock.” width=”1024″ height=”682″ /> An AI is far too obedient to know how to create anatomical exaggerations and especially to have a sense of humor. © AmeriCantaro, Adobe Stock.
Threats to Young Manga Creators’ Employment
Many people have expressed concern that AI could threaten the employment of young mangakas. The possibility that the assistants of mangakas could be replaced one day by machines “is not zero,” according to Satoshi Kurihara, a professor at Keio University in Tokyo. His team published an AI-assisted manga in 2020, almost all of which was created by humans. However, he believes that AI has become “first-class” and will undoubtedly influence the manga industry.
AI: Friend or Foe?
While some people view AI as a threat, others believe that it could be an excellent companion. For example, Madoka Kobayashi, a manga artist of over 30 years, believes that AI can “help [her] visualize what she has in mind and make it a reality.” She also stated that the technology could be an aid to creators without artistic talent.
Conclusion
The use of AI in the creation of art raises concerns about copyright and job security. Some artists believe that AI can be a helpful tool, while others fear it will replace their jobs. However, as AI technology continues to develop, its impact on the industry will undoubtedly become more apparent.