Aniplex, a Sony-owned production powerhouse behind major anime franchises including Demon Slayer, signalled a willingness to explore artificial intelligence in its creative pipeline. The company's newly appointed president Shu Nishimoto stated that AI would be considered if it enhanced creators' work and supported creative development, framing the technology as a potential tool alongside traditional production methods. This represents a notable position for a studio deeply embedded in an industry where hand-drawn animation and human artistry remain central to cultural identity.

However, Nishimoto's remarks introduce a tension: just months earlier, Ufotable's president—the studio producing Demon Slayer—explicitly committed to preserving hand-drawn artists and human talent as core to the series' emotional impact. Simultaneously, Nishimoto emphasised protecting anime's distinctly Japanese creative character rather than diluting it for global audiences, despite overseas markets generating over half of the industry's estimated $25 billion value. The statements reflect an industry-wide debate between commercial expansion and cultural preservation, with AI's role in that calculus still unresolved.