Beyond the Spider-Verse Producer Says Sony Sequel Won’t Use AI

“One of the main goals of the films is to create new visual styles that have never been seen in a studio CG film,” the Spider-Verse producer says.

With great technology comes great responsibility. But Sony Animation’s Spider-Verse movies — which thwipped up a Best Animated Feature Oscar for 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and a second nomination for 2023’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse — won’t be using AI-generated animation in the upcoming Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.

“There is no generative AI in Beyond the Spider-Verse and there never will be,” series producer Chris Miller wrote on X in response to a fan urging Sony Animation not to use generative artificial intelligence on the sequel. “One of the main goals of the films is to create new visual styles that have never been seen in a studio CG film, not steal the generic plagiarized average of other artists’ work.”

There is no generative AI in Beyond the Spider-Verse and there never will be. One of the main goals of the films is to create new visual styles that have never been seen in a studio CG film, not steal the generic plagiarized average of other artists’ work. https://t.co/t4tSUWCg4u

— Christopher Miller (@chrizmillr) June 1, 2024

Miller’s response comes days after Tony Vinciquerra, the chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, was quoted saying that the studio is “very focused on AI” and will use the content-creating technology to cut costs and streamline productions.

“The biggest problem with making films today is the expense,” Vinciquerra told investors at a conference in Japan (via The Hollywood Reporter). “We will be looking at ways to…produce both films for theaters and television in more efficient ways, using AI primarily.”

Vinciquerra acknowledged that the use of AI was a major hurdle in the 2023 Hollywood labor strikes and the ongoing negotiations with IATSE, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the union that represents more than 168,000 workers in various arts, media, and entertainment crafts. 

“The agreements that came out of last year’s strikes and the agreements that will come out of the IATSE and Teamster [negotiations] will define roughly what we do with AI,” Vinciquerra said.

This isn’t the first time Miller and his producing partner and co-writer, Phil Lord, have spoken out against generative AI in the making of animated movies.

“The AI isn’t going to generate something new and original,” Miller told Fortune last year. “It’s going to just do an imitation of the things that came before it. It’s our job as humans to keep making things new.” At a November press conference, Miller expanded on his criticism to say that AI should only be used “as a tool to simplify some drudgery” in the process of creating the creative — but not the actual creation.

“It doesn’t have the ability to innovate,” Miller was quoted saying, adding that AI is “a copying machine” and “an imitator, not an innovator.”