Jorge R. Gutierrez Drops Out of Amazon's GenAI Creators' Fund Program

Just days after Amazon unveiled three AI-assisted animated series through its new GenAI Creators' Fund, filmmaker Jorge R. Gutierrez appears to be distancing himself from the initiative.

Amazon MGM Studios

Just days after Amazon MGM Studios unveiled the first three projects in its new GenAI Creators' Fund and announced AI-assisted animated series for Prime Video, one of the initiative's highest-profile creative partners appears to be publicly distancing himself from the project.

In a statement posted to Twitter/X, renowned Mexican animator, writer, producer, director, and voice actor Jorge R. Gutierrez explains he is dropping out of the program.

"I have decided to drop out of the AI program at Amazon. I will not be making a Punky Duck series. Actions speak louder than words.

My intent was to showcase artists, both new and seasoned, both inside and outside the studios, driving this new tech.

My sincerest apology to those I upset. I promise to do better moving forward. Thank you for your patience with me. I will try harder."

- Jorge R. Gutierrez

It remains to be seen if someone else will take over the Punky Duck project, if it will live on in a new form for Guierrez, or maybe something else entirely will happen. The statement has been widely interpreted as an attempt to distance himself from the broader narrative surrounding Amazon's AI initiative.

Gutierrez co-created the popular Nickelodeon animated series El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera and co-wrote and directed both the animated film The Book of Life and the TV miniseries Maya and the Three.

His statement today quickly circulated across animation communities, where many observers viewed it as a response to criticism from artists who were surprised to see one of animation's most celebrated creators associated with a high-profile generative AI project.

Yesterday, before making the withdrawal announcement this morning, he posted an update about the feedback he'd received:

Amazon's GenAI Creators' Fund was launched alongside Project Nara, a new internal AI production platform developed by Amazon MGM Studios and AWS.

According to Amazon, the initiative is intended to give filmmakers, digital creators, and startups access to funding and AI-powered production tools while keeping human creators at the center of the process.

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