An AI-Drawn Manga Is About to Make Its Debut
You might not expect the art world to drum up a lot of drama, but you'd be dead wrong there. With the new year upon us, it seems the budding controversy regarding AI art is only getting bigger. From harsh ethical debates to ownership issues, AI-generated art has prompted all sorts of controversy. And now, it seems like a publisher in Japan is sparking more debate with an AI-drawn manga.
The update comes from Rootpoot as the manga creator is teaming with Shinchosha to make an AI-drawn manga. According to the publisher, its Bunch Comics imprint will publish the experimental manga on March 9th, and all eyes are on the project to see how it fares.
AIにマンガを描かせてみるテスト（1/n）#Midjourney #マンガが読めるハッシュタグ #ツイッタSF #サイバーパンク桃太郎 pic.twitter.com/ctA9BvpU9l
— Rootport💰🍹🍑 (@rootport) August 10, 2022
After all, Rootport will be using AI software to make a sci-fi manga from scratch. From editing to assembly, the whole thing will be done using AI, but the story will not be made up. Instead, Rootport's manga will reimagine the old Japanese legged of Momotaro. The manga will begin with an old couple finding a mysterious boy outside of their strip club in Neo Okayama. Things get messy when they realize the kid has valuable data at hand, and Momotaro – or Peach John in this manga – will be tasked with protecting the info from foes.
As you can see above, the stills from this upcoming manga scream cyberpunk, and it is wild knowing it was done by AI. When the manga's full volume is released, Rootport promises to share behind-the-scenes information on how they used AI to collect the manga, but the question remains if the industry should embrace this innovation. After all, AI artwork has become a lightning rod for controversy in the professional space. And now, it seems the manga industry is about to contend with it firsthand.
What do you make of this latest manga controversy? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.