HOW CLOSE IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO TRANSFORMING ANIMATION PRODUCTION?

About two years ago, Jeffrey Katzenberg, the co founder of DreamWorks Animation and a major Hollywood figure, made a bold prediction on Bloomberg Television. He said that artificial intelligence could reduce the cost of producing animated films by around ninety per cent compared with traditional methods used in big studios. He noted that what once took hundreds of artists and several years might someday take much less labour and money. Today, the question is no longer whether artificial intelligence is changing animation but how close the industry is to that vision. In practical terms, artificial intelligence has already reshaped large parts of the animation production pipeline. Tasks that once took weeks, such as early visual development, motion testing, background creation and rendering support, can now be completed in a fraction of the time. Studios are producing more content with smaller teams and independent creators can now access tools that were once limited to large production houses. However, the industry has not yet reached the full scale of transformation that was predicted. Artificial intelligence has not removed the need for directors, animators, writers or creative leads. Instead, it has reduced friction in the production process. It speeds up technical work while leaving creative judgement, storytelling and emotional depth firmly in human hands. Cost reduction is real but it varies across different stages of production and depends on how well teams understand and apply the tools. What this moment reveals is not a failed prediction but an unfolding one. Artificial intelligence is proving to be a production partner rather than a replacement for human creativity. The studios seeing the greatest benefit are those that combine strong animation fundamentals with thoughtful and responsible use of technology because the gap between possibility and reality will keep narrowing as artificial intelligence continues to develop.