What happens to Japanese anime in the age of AI?

Can we have AI without the AI slop? Theoretically, I suppose we can, but the more pressing question is will we? Today we talk with Takuya Goto, founder of AssetHub, and discuss how AI is now being used by major Japanese animation and game studios. Takuya makes the case that AI slop is just a transitional phase that the industry is already moving beyond. He also has some very direct advice for Japanese founders thinking about doing business overseas. It's a great conversation, and I think you'll enjoy it. Show Notes They key to maintaining quality with AI cost reductions Exporting Japanese animation culture Why Japanese enterprises are the easiest clients for startups to work with Why a Japanese startup targeting Japanese customers should set up in San Francisco The core difference between animation professionals and hobbyists The real cause of the backlash against AI in animation and gaming How to open new global markets in Japanese IP licensing Japan's labor mobility problem (and a few possible solutions) Links from the Founder Everything you ever wanted to know about AssetHub Connect with Takuya on LinkedIn Leave a comment Transcript Welcome to Disrupting Japan, Straight talk from Japan's most innovative founders and VCs. I'm Tim Romero, and thanks for joining me. Over the past few months, there has been an increasing backlash against the use of generative AI in music, in art, and in video games. Well, today's guest is here to explain that while he understands that backlash, the trend itself is inevitable. But not in a bad way. Today we sit down with Takuya Goto, the founder of AssetHub, who explains how AI not only can remove much of the drudgery from video game and animation creation and provide the human artists with a greater artistic control, but how generative AI actually is being used that way today. At major animation studios and AAA game companies. Now, I've got to say, Takuya has a very interesting plan for startup growth. He moved to San Francisco to start his startup there, but from the very beginning, his customer base was always in Japan. Traditionally, this is not something you ever want to do, but Takuya explains why it's not just a good idea today, but why it might become standard practice for Japanese startups in the future. Takuya and I talk about where the global gaming and animation industries are heading, the challenges of maintaining quality in a world increasingly infested with AI slop, and the unique global value held by Japanese game and animation studios. But, you know, Takuya tells that story much better than I can. So, let's get right to the interview. Interview Tim: So, we're sitting here with Takuya Goto, the founder and CEO of AssetHub, which is a generative AI-powered 3D modeling for game asset creation. So, thanks for sitting down with us. Takuya: Ah, yeah. So thanks for inviting me. Tim: Oh, it's absolutely my pleasure. So, as I understand it, the simplest use of AssetHub, a customer can upload just a simple image, and AssetHub will break this into discrete parts and create 3D meshes of each part, and then lets the user edit each part individually. Is that pretty accurate? Takuya: Yes, yeah, it's right. So, we're basically given the AI network for 3D production, especially for making the high-grade contents. So, AI agents to handle the AI native production workflow. Tim: So, can you walk me through a typical use case? How does an average user use your system? Takuya: The general clients are game developers or animation. Actually, the 3D asset is the most expensive part of the production. So, in gaming, around 50% of the whole budget is spent on 3D, like character, environment, or something. And then getting positive is also quite expensive. At least it requires 10 million dollars, so it's 50 million, 100 million, or something, right? So, it's getting higher and higher. This is the biggest bottleneck of creating content. So, we support them to efficie