Summary
- Social media allows fans to see animators discussing poor industry working conditions.
- NAFCA advocates for government regulation of AI in anime to protect workers and IP rights.
- Unregulated AI poses political and economic threats to the anime industry.
As anime is expanding worldwide like never before with streaming services like Netflix and Crunchyroll, concerns regarding the anime industry are also reaching the Japanese and international communities more frequently. Long-time anime fans have known that labor conditions in the industry are a thorny subject, and that wages could be improved.
However, a few years ago, these were topics that only a small fraction of the niche properly knew about, as it was difficult to get in touch with animators or other industry insiders. That changed with social media, where fans can see many animators talking about their working conditions. As these comments gained traction, anime working conditions are now even under the scrutiny of the UN.
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Japanese Labor Association Defends AI Regulation in Anime
A recent and heated topic in the anime industry (and in many industries around the world) is the use of artificial intelligence. For Nippon Anime & Film (NAFCA), an association that aims to improve working conditions in the industry, the government should regulate artificial intelligence in anime. Well, actually, they advocate broader regulation, but their demands are focused on the anime industry.
By doing so, the government would improve both the protection of intellectual property rights and the reputation of anime around the world, according to NAFCA. This comes in a scenario where many companies are either investing or considering investing in AI translation. Although there are more examples in the manga industry, Crunchyoll’s CEO Rahul Purini stated in 2024 that the company was testing the use of AI – and harsh criticism followed.
What Are NAFCA’s Main Claims?
NAFCA claims that AI translation could fail to convey the original message (probably meaning doing it at a higher rate than traditional translations, as translators are bound to make mistakes like any other professional), and that these mistakes could even violate the author’s moral rights.
Their statement addresses AI in other segments of the anime industry, such as voice acting, but it does not tackle the use of AI in producing animation due to alleged labor shortages. They also defend that regulating AI can help protect workers and that current intellectual property laws are not enough — as an example, they mention that art styles are not under copyright laws, but if an art style can be copied through intensive machine learning via unauthorized access, it may be necessary to rethink the law, in their opinion.
NAFCA also points out that the anime industry could suffer considerable economic damage if footage, voices, etc. are used to feed AI databases without the prior consent of rights holders. In short, they believe that unregulated AI poses potential political and economic threats to the industry.
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NAFCA doesn’t defend getting rid of AI. Like many other associations, they defend regulations to establish clear dos and don’ts clear and protect workers and IP rights.
Source: NAFCA, Animenomics