Could AI Help Create New Prodigy Episodes in the Future?

[trekfan_1]

This might also belong in the Future of Trek forum, but I wanted to post it here since it mainly relates to Star Trek: Prodigy.

How close are we to having AI that can fully generate CGI-animated episodes?

For example: imagine someone ( a real human) creates a script and highly detailed storyboards for new episodes, then feeds an AI system with seasons 1 and 2 as training data and prompts it to animate based on the storyboards. You could then bring in a sound designer to polish the audio and editing, and ideally hire the original voice actors to return for the dialogue.

My guess is that this isn't quite doable—or at least not cost-effective—just yet. But could this be a possibility in the near future?

Also, I'm not sure what the current rules are for fan productions, but if consumer level A.I assisted tech gets there - could the original Prodigy writers and voice cast potentially collaborate on crowdfunded fan projects to create unofficial new episodes? That would be incredible, if allowed and if they’re willing.

Want to reiterate this is an idea for using A.I as a vital primary tool to self-create finished animation but not to use it for the script or the voices.

 

[The Wormhole]

Marvel's Secret Invasion already did something similar on a much smaller scale back in 2023. Its credit sequence was created and storyboarded by actual humans who then used AI to create an animated version, though still supervised by actual humans. This would have been done before the strikes, even though it aired during the strikes. It still caused hysterical freak outs in Hollywood to the point Marvel and Disney have already promised never to do this again. We're not ever getting an AI animated series at all

 

[Dukhat]

could the original Prodigy writers and voice cast potentially collaborate on crowdfunded fan projects to create unofficial new episodes?

CBS/Paramount would be all over that, and we'd likely see no fan projects ever again as a result.

 

[Wouter]

Moreover, maybe AI could help with the animation aspects, but for the writing you need better than that.

The Indian animation studio also managed to give the characters hints of emotion through the art and animation, something that would be very hard with/for AI I think.

 

[The Old Mixer]

We're not ever getting an AI animated series at all

Never say never. If there's anything that I've learned over the course of 55 years, it's that times and attitudes change...not to mention the technology itself.

 

[FredH]

It’d be a disaster for actual human animators. Private playing around is one thing — I’ve had ChatGPT write me stories for me to read, and only for that — but using it to replace paid human art-creation of any sort would (and probably will) be a terrible thing.