While some in the animation industry fear artificial intelligence could displace human creativity, many African animators see it as a tool to unlock opportunity and level the global playing field.
Stuart Forrest, CEO of South Africa’s Triggerfish Animation Studios, believes AI could help Africa’s underrepresented animation community realize new projects. “There’s such a tiny amount of people actually active in animation on the continent,” he said. “AI gives them a way to get their stories made.”
Nigerian filmmaker Ebele Okoye agrees. Known as the “Mother of African Animation,” she sees AI as a way to bypass traditional funding hurdles. “We now have the opportunity to tell our stories without having to wait for somebody to give us $20 million,” she told CNN at the Cannes Film Festival.
Africa’s animation sector was valued at $13.3 billion in 2023, but chronic underfunding and limited infrastructure have held creators back. Forrest estimates that AI could soon reduce the cost of producing an animated feature from millions to just $50,000 – handled by as few as two or three creatives.
But there are concerns. Masilakhe Njomane, a junior research fellow at the South African Cultural Observatory, warns that AI could eliminate entry-level jobs, creating barriers for young creatives and worsening job insecurity in already fragile economies.
Triggerfish has used AI-assisted coding tools like GitHub Copilot, but not AI-generated art. Forrest sees potential for an “ethical AI-assisted pipeline” and emphasizes that while AI may replace some roles, it will also create new ones.
Legal and ethical concerns around AI’s use of training data persist. Okoye cautions African creatives against relying on browser-based generative AI tools and advocates for localized workflows. She uses software like ComfyUI to train models on her own character art, retaining control and copyright.
Bias in generative AI is another issue. Many models produce generic or stereotypical depictions of African characters due to limited African data inputs. Okoye and Forrest both argue that training locally with culturally specific assets is key to creating accurate, representative content.
Okoye envisions a future where African animators receive support to develop their own AI models using regionally authentic imagery and characters – laying the groundwork for more inclusive storytelling and intellectual property ownership.
With global interest rising in Afro-centric animation like Disney+’s Iwájú and HBO Max’s Iyanu, African studios are racing to meet demand. Despite challenges, Okoye remains hopeful. “Coming from being a typesetter to somebody who’s training AI models – how beautiful,” she said. “What a great time to be alive.”