The kids media industry is starting to warm up to the idea of AI—or at least AI film festivals, according to the results of Kidscreen‘s latest poll.

Last week, Modern Uprising Studios and Screenvision announced an animation festival celebrating works made with a little help from AI. This festival might be among the first of its kind, but it likely won’t be the last—so we asked readers in the industry whether they think such fests are a good idea.

Respondents were largely supportive, and their comments offered insights into how attitudes about AI are shifting within the animation industry. When generative AI first hit the mainstream, thanks to the viral explosion of software like ChatGPT and Midjourney, there was widespread concern that it would eliminate jobs. Those concerns still exist, but there’s also an openness in the industry to support those using the tech.

Most respondents (66.7%) said they think these sorts of festivals are a good idea. Both human-made animation and works made with the help of AI deserve to be celebrated, proponents argued.

“AI is giving so many artists a way to more efficiently realize their visions and get their short films independently made at minimal cost,” says Rich Murray, an artist and animator who specializes in producing explainers and promos through his RichToons shingle.

Those opposed to AI fests point to how some AI models steal content and generate material based on copyrighted work. (There are more than 30 AI copyright lawsuits currently making their way through the US court system.) And one respondent also said that celebrating AI art contributes to the narrative that art can be made without effort from artists, which isn’t true.

But Amy Takahara, a former Netflix and Nickelodeon director, and more recently the founder of a consultancy called Sigma Girl Media, argues there’s value in AI animation festivals since AI is proving to be a useful tool.

“I think there is room for both AI-generated films and films that are done in the traditional way, in the same way that hand-drawn animation, stop-motion animation and computer-generated animation have proven they can co-exist,” Takahara says. “We can celebrate the artistry of animation while also enjoying animation made with AI. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. It can be both.”

Artist Maya Zankoul, who runs the Arabic YouTube preschool channel Lila TV (1.57 million subscribers), echoed Takahara’s points. She also noted that it’s good to separate the festivals, so that works made with AI don’t have to face off against purely human works. “They can both co-exist without cancelling each other or competing against each other,” she says.

Photo by Zhyar Ibrahim on Unsplash