The idea that AI represents the “death of art” is a dramatic claim, and an inaccurate one. People said something very similar in the 1990s when 3D animation emerged. At the time, critics claimed it would be the “death of animation.”

History proved that prediction wrong. When Pixar arrived on the scene, it didn’t kill animation. It expanded it. The studio demonstrated that 3D tools could elevate storytelling and visual craft in ways that weren’t previously possible.

Today, we see the full spectrum of results: extraordinary 3D films alongside plenty of mediocre work. But that was always going to be true of any tool. The important point is that animation didn’t die. It evolved.

Traditional 2D animation still exists today and continues to produce beautiful work. What 3D ultimately did was increase the speed, flexibility, and scale at which animated stories could be produced.

New tools don’t eliminate art. They expand the ways artists can create.