Tim Burton Calls A.I. Art Made in His Style ‘Very Disturbing’

Tim Burton is known for his very distinct visual style and character design. As such, people have been using A.I. to mimic that aesthetic in new pieces of computer-generated artwork. It turns out, Burton himself is not a fan. With the rise of widely available A.I., there has been fear about it potentially even replacing artists. Whether that’s something that could actually happen remains to be seen.

In the meantime, The Independent asked Burton what he thought about A.I. art made to evoke his work. His response:

They had A.I. do my versions of Disney characters! ... I can’t describe the feeling it gives you. It reminded me of when other cultures say, ‘Don’t take my picture because it is taking away your soul.’

Warner Bros.

Burton said seeing the A.I. art ripped off from his own work “takes something from your soul or psyche; that is very disturbing, especially if it has to do with you. It’s like a robot taking your humanity, your soul.”

Burton isn't alone in this kind of sentiment. Wes Anderson recently said in an interview that if he’s ever sent A.I. art made to look like his work “I’ll immediately erase it and say, ‘Please, sorry, do not send me things of people doing me,’ Because I do not want to look at it.”

For now, A.I. is simply a distillation of all of the visual hallmarks of a director’s work. But as it advances, it may eventually be able to generate entire films.