Junji Ito Fears That AI Might Take Over Mangaka’s Jobs
The famous mangaka states that even though this new technology can’t think with originality, it can create artwork better than him.
The Japanese website 4Gamer recently held an interview with one of the century’s most popular horror mangakas, Junji Ito.
Though the interview primarily focused on his work on the cards for Magic: The Gathering, he was also asked about his view on AI.
The famous mangaka shared his fear of future manga being made of AI. This is further reinforced by his statement that even though this new technology can’t think with originality, it can create artwork better than him.
This is not unprecedented, as we have seen many YouTubers test its capabilities for manga and comic stories and scripts.
In March of this year, Shinchosa released the first ever AI-produced manga, Cyberpunk: Peach John.
Junji Ito also believes that people would prefer art created by humans to that created by AI.
“Unlike the old days, there is a word “hitokowa” (unmasking),” he remarked. “In the sense that people are afraid of the psychopathic side of humans, I feel that this tendency is stronger than it used to be.
However, it does not categorise or verbalise fear, so there are things I do not understand well. If I can analyse those parts, I can incorporate those tendencies into my work and create something that sells.”
Junji Ito’s works are known for invoking unease and fear in their readers.
This unique ability of his is what made him one of the most acclaimed horror mangaka.
When he was asked about his work involving fear, he said,
“Fundamentally, I don’t think people’s fears have changed that much over time. On the other hand, I always have the desire to create something new and scary.
It’s like something that you didn’t think you were afraid of before suddenly becomes scary. I once drew a manga called Uzumaki.
The swirl pattern that exists naturally and fear are connected, and the swirl pattern that was casually seen until then becomes scary. In this way, I would like to create a story in which the unexpected becomes frightening before AI.”
The mangaka talks about other people in the manga world, including translators, and letters expressing their concern about being replaced by AI.
Regarding AI creating art and manga, he also quoted renowned anime director Hayao Miyazaki. A few years ago, he commented that using AI for art is an insult to life itself.
