The Queen
of Manga has spoken. Rumiko Takahashi and her opinion on artificial
intelligence resonate strongly throughout the industry today. During a
rare visit to San Francisco for the exhibition "The Art of Manga," the
legendary creator of masterpieces such as Ranma 1/2 and Inuyasha drew
a clear line between technology and art: AI looks back, mangaka looks forward.
Data vs.
Innovation: Rumiko Takahashi and her opinion on artificial intelligence in
manga
At 68,
Takahashi remains faithful to paper, ink and watercolors. In a recent
interview, he dismantled the AI hype with a simple but
devastating reflection:
"AI
learns from the past and creates data, but manga does not repeat what has been
drawn before, but is a process of constantly thinking of new ideas. Maybe the
directions are different."
For the
author, the essence of manga lies in constant innovation, something
that an algorithm trained with old works cannot replicate. Although he admitted
with a laugh that he would like to adapt to digital (especially since it is
becoming increasingly difficult to find his traditional drawing materials), his
process is still purely human.
A
universal legacy
Takahashi
also reflected on why his works are globally successful. The answer lies not in
technology, but in empathy: "We draw for Japanese readers... Maybe that's
why people find differences in lifestyles and detailed descriptions of people's
hearts interesting."
