Pixar’s chief creative officer says AI is ‘the least impressive blah average of things’

Not everyone believes AI spells the end for animators.

Pixar’s chief creative officer, Pete Docter, recently said on comedian Mike Birbiglia’s “Working It Out” podcast that he was unimpressed with AI so far, calling it “bland.”

“AI seems like it is the least impressive blah average of things,” he said.

AI is an anxiety-inducing topic in Hollywood. Critics of the technology are concerned that it could eliminate jobs across the entertainment industry. It was one of the reasons unionized writers went on strike for nearly five months in 2023. Those in support of integrating AI, on the other hand, like director James Cameron, believe it could make the filmmaking process more cost-effective.

From Docter’s perspective, while he said everyone is “troubled” by AI, he doesn’t think it will erase humans from the animated filmmaking process. Pixar’s 29th animated feature, “Elio,” hit theaters on June 20.

“If you look back in time, the number of hand-drawn animators that were really brilliant was in the dozens,” Docter said. “A very small number of people who could draw well enough. Understood the dynamic of movement. Character acting. Had the right sensibilities.”

Computers, he said, made animation more accessible, meaning people don’t have to be a “brilliant draft person” to be an animator. “I still have to have performance and timing, but one of the heavy lifts has been done by the computer,” he said.

Docter said AI, like computers, could alleviate some of the more cumbersome tasks associated with animation.

“I was wondering whether AI will continue to help us lift some of the heavy burdens that we have to carry as an animator and maybe put the focus more on the performance,” he said.

Representatives for Disney did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

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