Utopai Studios and DeNA partner on AI-assisted animation in Japan

Utopai Studios and DeNA Co., Ltd. have announced a partnership to integrate AI-assisted technology into animation production in Japan. DeNA’s Entertainment Development Business Unit will incorporate Utopai’s storytelling AI system, known as PAI, into its experimental animation workflows.

The collaboration aims to enhance production capabilities while maintaining creative control by human artists. Utopai specialists will work alongside DeNA staff to assist with early visual concepts, character and environment design, and scene planning. DeNA artists will retain final authority over story, visual style, performances, and tone.

Utopai’s PAI system is already being utilized by Huace Film & TV in China for the series ‘Journey to the West: The Lost Five Hundred Years’ and is being applied to various film and television projects across the United States, Europe, and North America.