Imagine creating an animated character simply by typing a few words into a computer. What once required a team of artists, expensive equipment and months of work can now, in some cases, be done much faster with artificial intelligence.
But does that mean human animators could eventually lose their jobs? Two leading figures in the animation industry say AI is already changing how creative work is done, but replacing human talent is not as simple as it sounds.
In exclusive interviews with Khaleej Times during the Sharjah Animation and Comics Conference (SACC) 2026, former Pixar animator Andrew Gordon and Japanese animation studio chief Shuzo John Shiota shared their experiences with the technology and what it could mean for artists.
While Gordon warned that some clients may choose AI instead of hiring artists, Shiota revealed that certain clients are taking the opposite approach, banning AI from their projects altogether.
Are animators at risk of losing their jobs?
Gordon spent 20 years at Pixar, working on well-known characters including Mike Wazowski in Monsters, Inc., Edna Mode in The Incredibles and Gill in Finding Nemo.
Today, he is Chief of Storytelling at EyeTell, a platform developing AI tools for filmmakers and storytellers. He believes AI is already affecting demand for human artists.
“I think that it’s opened the ability to really have people type something they want instead of hiring an artist,” Gordon said. However, he warned that relying on AI alone could leave audiences seeing too much content that looks and feels the same. “You really do need artists to make original stuff and be specific,” he added.
Gordon believes animators will still be needed, although the way content is produced may change depending on a project’s budget, deadline and creative needs.
Some clients want AI, while others ban it
Shiota, President and CEO of Japan’s Polygon Pictures, sees another challenge for artists. He believes those with their own creative ideas and a strong personal vision will have an advantage as AI becomes more widely used.
“Artists with a deeply personal obsession—a vision they feel compelled to pursue—can use these tools to take their work further,” he said.
For others, finding a place in the industry may become more difficult. AI may promise faster and cheaper production, but not everyone in the animation industry wants to use it.
Shiota said Polygon Pictures, which produces animated television series and feature films, has not faced much pressure to use AI to cut costs.
Instead, clients have very different expectations. “Some require us to test AI tools on their projects, while others strictly prohibit any use of AI,” he told Khaleej Times.
Gordon said some clients are beginning to expect faster results because of AI, particularly for projects such as commercials. But he warned that speed should not come at the expense of quality. “If you want something quick, yes ai can help, but there is no substitute for quality,” he added.
According to Gordon, AI can still struggle to keep characters consistent and deliver convincing performances. He believes creating high-quality animation will continue to require time, effort and careful attention to detail.
How are they using AI in their own work?
Despite the growing excitement around AI-generated animation, both Gordon and Shiota said they are not relying on it to produce all their work.
Gordon said he uses AI mainly to help develop stories rather than animate characters directly. At EyeTell, he is working with tools that allow filmmakers to make changes to timing, direction and other creative details.
Gordon also believes AI could also help with repetitive technical tasks, leaving animators more time to focus on the creative side of their work. “But the work itself needs to still be hand crafted,” he added.
Shiota said AI has not yet made a major difference to the animation produced by Polygon Pictures. “So far, AI has not significantly changed our production process or contributed meaningfully to our output,” he said.
The studio currently uses AI to develop ideas, share concepts and translate directors’ instructions for team members. It is also testing platforms such as Runway to see how they could help with future projects.
Shiota expects AI to become more important as the technology improves and studios face rising costs for computer hardware and software.
Can AI help smaller filmmakers?
Although AI may create challenges for established artists, Gordon believes it could also give more people the opportunity to tell their stories. He pointed to filmmakers in developing countries who may have strong ideas but lack the millions of dollars sometimes needed to produce an animated film.
For them, AI could make projects possible that would otherwise be too expensive.Gordon believes there is room for different ways of making animation, whether through traditional techniques or newer technology.
Shiota also sees opportunities for artists who have struggled to bring their ideas to life. He recalled an artist describing the arrival of AI as the “age of human obsession”, a time when people with strong creative ambitions could finally achieve things they had wanted to do for years.
For Shiota, the important question is whether artists control the technology or allow it to control their work.
What about originality and artists’ rights?
Both industry leaders expressed concerns about the artwork used to train AI systems.
Gordon questioned whether artists are being treated fairly when their work is used to develop AI models. He also worries that AI-generated content could become increasingly similar. “I really feel that human work without the use of AI will be noticed more, and I like that,” he said.
Shiota raised similar concerns about where AI training material comes from and whether the original creators are properly respected. He explained that artists have always looked at other people’s work for inspiration, but what matters is adding something personal to create an original result.
“My concern is that AI will make it easier for more mediocre art to be produced and consumed at an unprecedented scale,” Shiota noted.
What can humans do that AI cannot?
For Gordon, the difference often lies in the smallest details. A character’s head movement, hand gesture or eye blink can reveal emotions and personality in ways that make a performance memorable. He believes those choices come from an animator’s personal experiences and understanding of people.
Gordon underlined: “If you don’t put yourself into it, you will get what the AI gives you which is always in the middle.”
Shiota believes the most important part of creative work often happens towards the end of the process. “In any creative work, I believe the final 20 percent of the process is what separates mediocrity from originality,” he said, noting “the final stage is where artists make the small decisions that turn an ordinary piece of work into something distinctive.”
Sharjah brings the debate to the spotlight
The future of animation and the growing role of AI are among the topics being explored at the Sharjah Animation and Comics Conference 2026, taking place from October 22 to 25 at Aljada.
Khoula Al Mujaini, Executive Director of SACC, said new technologies are giving creators different ways to develop stories and produce animation.
“At SACC, we believe it is important to create a space where creators can engage with these developments, exchange perspectives and discover how emerging tools can support their creative processes,” she said, noting the conference continues to focus on original ideas, memorable characters and storytelling that connects with audiences.
For Gordon and Shiota, AI may change how animation is made and who gets the opportunity to make it. But both believe the creativity, personal experiences and decisions of human artists will remain important, no matter how advanced the technology becomes.
Source: Khaleej Times
