Tim Burton Says AI Art Is Taking Away From His ‘Soul’
By Alexa Heah, 15 Sep 2023
Ever since the inception of artificial intelligence, there have been opposing viewpoints on whether the burgeoning technology adds to or detracts from human creativity. While it doesn’t seem that the debate will come to an end anytime soon, one famed creator has chimed in. As it turns out, famed director Tim Burton isn’t a big fan of image generators mimicking his distinct, goth-like style.
This viewpoint emerged in a recent interview with The Independent, in which Burton highlighted a BuzzFeed listicle that portrayed well-known Disney characters in his instantly recognizable art form.
Tim Burton says he saw a Buzzfeed article that used AI to combine his characters with Disney characters and it made him feel like his soul was taken
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“It’s like a robot taking your humanity" pic.twitter.com/uZRfBOfM2U
The animator, who explained that he couldn’t “describe the feeling” of seeing his work imitated by machines, likened the experience to other cultures not liking having photographs taken because it feels as though they are “taking away your soul.”
Burton went on to remark that he felt as though the generators take away from one’s “soul or psyche” and “humanity,” saying the process “sucks something from you” and is “disturbing.”
Despite his criticisms of the medium, Burton did admit that some of the generated images were “very good,” though he neglected to divulge which ones.
[via Futurism and The Independent, cover image via Stockeeco | Dreamstime.com]