Kouji Mori reveals they considered using AI to draft new Berserk episodes

[scaler26]

In a new interview, it is stated that AI was considered in the production of the new episodes:

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ae91ca48bb4da9147789a6a462367720db05ba56?page=3

(Yahoo! Japan is no longer accessible in Europe, so any fellow Europeans that want to take a look will unfortunately need to use a VPN)

I'm using (ironically enough) a machine translation, which might not be perfectly accurate, but the general gist of it is that they'd input Miura-sensei's art and use generative AI to create drafts for the continuation. They eventually ditched the idea because they were "unable to find a way forward for [this] project, and decided to proceed with the conventional drawing method."

Now, the fact that the thought crossed their minds is bad enough, but that using derivative drivel made by some program and not a human being was thought of as a viable option in "honoring Miura's memory" is mind boggling, and yet another example of this team's creative bankruptcy. Moreover, the decision to not use AI was seemingly not born out of any moral principle, but their dissatisfaction with the results. The question that now remains is: Given how fast this technology has been evolving, and that they intend to stretch the continuation for the next decade, will there be a point when AI is "good enough" for them? Is this what we have to look forward to now?

I think this is all pretty damning, and if there were any doubts about the sincerity of this project, surely they will be quelled after this.
I had already decided I wouldn't be buying any volume released after Miura-sensei unfortunately passed away, but this is the cherry on top.

 

[Aazealh]

Mori's numerous interviews about Berserk tend to be pretty self-serving in my opinion, but I wouldn't pin this specific thing on him. This sounds more like something Kurosaki would attempt. I also think it underlines their thought process for this whole endeavor: trying to "keep Miura in" the continuation, even through wrongheaded means. To me, it's another indication that Mori's original idea (doing a written summary with illustrations) was the right one. Simpler and purer.

Anyway, other than this tibdit, I found a number of interesting new details in the slew of interviews Mori did for the release of volume 42.

 

[scaler26]

I wouldn't pin this specific thing on him

This was a good clarification, I definitely could have worded it better, my intention was only to say where this piece of information came from, not that I'm blaming him

Thank you for taking the time to make this summary of pertinent info from all the interviews!! I hadn't seen the Da Vinci interview.

 

[Aazealh]

This was a good clarification, I definitely could have worded it better, my intention was only to say where this piece of information came from, not that I'm blaming him

Don't worry, I get it. It's just my own personal guess anyway, and I'd say it's fair to attribute responsibility to all parties associated with the project.

Thank you for taking the time to make this summary of pertinent info from all the interviews!! I hadn't seen the Da Vinci interview.

No problem. Walter suggested I move it to another thread, so I've left a link to redirect instead.

 

[blodvind]

but that using derivative drivel made by some program and not a human being was thought of as a viable option in "honoring Miura's memory" is mind boggling

I think that would be a better option, actually. If not right now, in the near future. It is possible that an AI will get the style closer to the original than what the team is doing.

The value of human- vs. machine-derivate material is another philosophical question, and we should start considering that an AI can be indeed creative. This technology is going to humble us humans down very quickly, I think.

 

[Walter]

I think that would be a better option, actually. If not right now, in the near future. It is possible that an AI will get the style closer to the original than what the team is doing.

The value of human- vs. machine-derivate material is another philosophical question, and we should start considering that an AI can be indeed creative. This technology is going to humble us humans down very quickly, I think.

Even setting aside the extremely inconsistent capabilities of the technology, which are nascent to say the least, it would have been ethically fraught to continue Berserk with AI.

That being said, it is not damning in my opinion that they considered but ultimately did not pursue AI. It was merely an (bad) idea brought up for discussion it seems. Whatever. Add it to the pile of bad ideas that were involved.

 

[Aazealh]

The value of human- vs. machine-derivate material is another philosophical question, and we should start considering that an AI can be indeed creative. This technology is going to humble us humans down very quickly, I think.

You don't seem to know how these things work. GenAI models aren't creative, they are computer programs trained on large quantities of artwork which they can then recombine in a variety of ways following user prompts. Presenting them as alternatives to human art is fallacious since they cannot exist without it.

More importantly, the kind of craftsmanship involved in creating a manga like Berserk goes way beyond approximating artwork, and is completely out of reach for this technology. In fact, it's this very lack of craftsmanship that's problematic with the continuation in the first place. Lastly, do note they were talking about using it for drafts, not the actual finished drawings.