If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Even the Terminator anime showrunner says AI art "scary on a personal level" and shouldn't be used to make comic art

At Anime NYC 2024, The Batman Part II screenwriter and Terminator: Zero showrunner talked (appropriately) about the dangers of AI

Features by Grant DeArmitt, Staff Writer

Published on Thu Aug 29 2024

Popverse's top stories of the day

How Disney+'s What If...? is the moonshot for the next 50 years of Marvel Studios & the MCU
Watch: Dune: Prophecy's Desmond Hart explained: His secret identity, his past, and his possible future [SPOILERS]
Dune: Prophecy's Desmond Hart explained: His secret identity, his past, and his possible future [SPOILERS]

Thankfully, you and I aren't in danger of AI in the same way that the characters of Terminator: Zero are. But there is a growing concern about a different kind of AI in or real world, and one of those concerned individuals is Mattson Tomlin, the showrunner for Netflix's anime entry into the Terminator franchise and screenwriter of Matt Reeves's upcoming The Batman Part II.

Tomlin was recently promoting Terminator: Zero at a special screening for Anime NYC 2024, which he attended along with Bleach animator Masashi Kudō. And since the show does deal a lot with the concept of Artificial Intelligence, moderator Khleo Thomas brought the subject up to the panelists.

Tomlin called AI "very scary to me on a personal level," relating how quickly AI art went from wonky images with too many fingers to images that are borderline indistinguishable from real photographs, a common concern from people worried about AI's potential for spreading harmful disinformation.

"Every tool humanity has made has turned into a weapon," said Tomlin, a statement which is also a major theme in Terminator: Zero. In fact, Tomlin is basically pulling a direct quote from the character of Kokoro (voiced in English by Rosario Dawson), who is, ironically, a potentially dangerous AI herself.

Tomlin ended his answer by admitting that, like most inventions, there is a potential for AI to do great good for humanity, if it's in the right hands.

"But it's not by putting comic book artists out of work," he ended.

Terminator: Zero is on Netflix now.

Want to know what's coming up next in pop culture? Check out Popverse's guides to:

And if you're looking for specific franchises or genres, we've also got lists for the:

Finally, if you're a fan of superheroes and not specific to just Marvel or DC, we have overall guides to:

Follow Popverse for upcoming event coverage and news

Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. As Popverse's Staff Writer, he criss-crosses the pop culture landscape bringing you the news and opinions about the big things (and the next big things). In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.