'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure' creator Hirohiko Araki warns of AI threat to manga industry

The emergence of AI-generated content is a growing concern for professional manga artists, according to 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure' creator Hirohiko Araki.

In his new book, 'New Manga Techniques', which came out on November 15, 2024, Araki talks about how AI artwork has gotten more sophisticated and may change the structure of the manga industry. For instance, he shares his experience when he mistakenly thought an AI-generated piece was one of his own. This work was so well-penned that the man thought he himself had written it, mimicking his wording and even small details like the way he draws eyelashes.

Araki shares, "If it were based on recent drawings, I would know right away. But if it were ten years ago, honestly, I would not be able to tell the difference." This led him to be concerned for the future of manga artists as AI poses a serious existential threat if left unchecked.

Several tools enable the creation of images instantly. While these AI generators are popular among anime fans, they have begun to influence the industry as well. AI has been used not only for translations but also to create similar content for existing intellectual properties. For example, a posthumous one-shot for Osamu Tezuka's 'Black Jack' was created using AI, which attracted debates on issues of copyright infringement. Even original AI-generated projects, such as 'Cyberpunk Peach John', have faced criticism for potentially infringing on the rights of human artists.

Araki’s concerns are shared by other manga professionals, including 'Love Hina' creator Ken Akamatsu and famed horror manga artist Junji Ito. Araki warns that as AI technology advances, the issue will only become worse. He also fears that if AI is so commonplace that everyone uses it, then fraud and exploitation will blossom. "Art reflects the times," Araki writes, and with the increasing omnipresence of AI, he can envision a world where "con artists" exploit the system evermore. He further emphasizes loopholes in the legal scope, suggesting that AI scam artists could take advantage of Japan's lax legal system for their own benefit, as most manga artists do not really manage copyrights.

Araki muses over how the increasing use of AI is impacting manga, and how much more protection artists would have to expect from legally acceptable technology moving forward.