Award-winning cartoon allegedly generated by artificial intelligence

AI comics, which blur the lines between inspiration and appropriation, have long been viewed as a controversial topic in Japan. Considered a major threat to creators’ livelihoods, many believe stricter guidelines should be in place to protect artists. Last month, 17 of America’s largest publishers formed a coalition to defend “the foundation of the content industry.” However, the legality of AI-generated comics is a complex and much-discussed issue, as it largely lies in a gray area.

Comics suspected of using artificial intelligence win three awards

Recently, after the results of the 36th Young Jump Newcomer Award were officially announced, this controversy reignited again. Feathers of the Three Kingdoms“” submitted by Morinaga Burubon won three awards: Honorable Mention, Best Work of the Month, and Debut Author Award, with the artist receiving a generous bonus of 430,000 yen. However, many netizens believe that the comic was created using artificial intelligence. They listed various details they found suspicious. This includes inconsistent character designs, wrong body proportions, overly smooth lines, and backgrounds that appear to be pasted together. The story was also heavily criticized.

“Before considering whether it was AI-generated, I was just amazed that you could pick something as horrific and completely incomprehensible as this,” one

Call for investigation

Others believe that non-hand-drawn comics should not be considered for such an award. Another X user wrote: “Artificial intelligence should be considered a separate category unique to artificial intelligence. It should not be mixed with hand-drawn works for assessment.” While the rules of the award do not explicitly prohibit the use of artificial intelligence, the call young jumpingThere are growing calls for publisher Shueisha to investigate the matter and enforce stricter AI guidelines. But as of now, the company has not issued an official statement.

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