Laika CEO Slams Generative AI as Contrary to Studio's Philosophy
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Travis Knight, CEO of stop-motion animation studio Laika and director of Wildwood, publicly criticized generative AI via The Verge on October 23, 2026. He said generative AI 'goes against everything Laika stands for,' arguing that using AI to replace artists in creative work lacks humanity and amounts to theft from artists. He cited the studio's new film Wildwood as an example: the film took five years to complete, using more than 230 puppets, 49 animators, and over 1,000 artists, made in the traditional stop-motion style. Knight also clarified that his stance is not a blanket rejection of AI, saying he does not oppose AI applications in fields such as medicine and science, but is concerned about the risk of its misuse. The matter currently consists of Knight's one-sided remarks; there have been no follow-up responses or reports of new developments.
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- The Verge · AIWildwood’s director says AI is ‘antithetical to everything that we are at this studio’
Travis Knight, CEO of stop-motion studio Laika and director of the new film Wildwood, publicly criticized generative AI, calling it “antithetical to everything that we are at this studio,” arguing that AI replacing artists in creative work lacks humanity and amounts to stealing from artists. Wildwood took five years to complete, using more than 230 puppets, 49 animators, and over 1,000 artists. He said he does not oppose AI applications in fields like medicine and science but is concerned about the risk of its misuse.
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