Making use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, Osamu Tezuka's "new work" has been published Thursday in the latest issue of the Morning weekly manga magazine from Kodansha.
Is it possible for AI to become a "God of Manga"? This is a real-life experiment that seems to come straight from the world of Tezuka science fiction.
Semiconductor manufacturer Kioxia Corp., formerly known as Toshiba Memory Corp., collaborated with Tezuka Productions Co. to produce the work under the "TEZUKA 2020" project.
After having the AI learn the several thousand faces of characters from Tezuka's manga, it created a prototype for the new protagonist, read nearly 200 stories, both long and short, as textual data, and generated a plot similar to that which Tezuka could have come up with if he were alive.
A script was crafted based on the plot, and the professionals of the Tezuka Productions staff created the art.
The new manga is called "Paidon." The story is set in Tokyo in 2030 and follows a mysterious homeless philosopher who becomes a detective and takes on a case, accompanied by a small robot bird as his partner.
The project's participants include Makoto Tezuka, the son of Tezuka.
"The idea of AI drawing manga is significant," said younger Tezuka at a presentation held at Kodansha on Wednesday. "[The new work] has a distinct Osamu Tezuka-like atmosphere."
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
