Iconic mangaka author Eiichiro Oda has started to experiment with AI writing tool ChatGPT. The author used OpenAI’s controversial tool to write a new chapter of his long-running manga One Piece.
Via AnimeHunch, a video on the One Piece Twitter account showed Oda experimenting with the AI software. In the video, the author asked the tool to write the next chapter of the manga series for him.
“I can’t think of what to do with next week’s One Piece, so can you come up with a story for me? I’d like a very funny one,” Oda said.
ChatGPT quickly generated a story where the Straw Hats faced off against a brand-new villain: The King of Shadows. After kidnapping Chopper, the heroes battle against the shadow-controlling Devil Fruit user to get their friend back.
Oda wasn’t a fan of the tool’s first generation. Giving it a second stab, the writer asked the software to generate a less boring story for his manga series.
The second story saw the Straw Hats helping an alien species by restoring their planet’s star, all while fighting an evil witch. The One Piece author not only found the story to be a “fresh” new entry in the series, but also revealed that he will officially adapt it.
“Thank you! That’s exactly what I’ll do!” Oda said after reading the generated story.
Fans of One Piece have fought back against the use of artificial intelligence in the series. At the time of writing, comments on the original Twitter post have been disabled, stopping fans from fighting back against Oda’s use of AI.
However, others believed that the use of ChatGPT could be good for an episodic story such as One Piece. With the series currently coming in at over 1000 chapters, many simply want Oda to progress the story. If AI can help the author meet the stressful demands of publisher Shonen Jump, it could be a helpful tool.
Read More: Anime fans protest against AI art generation in manga
Manga creators becoming reliant on ChatGPT is a possibility. The stressful demands of the industry has caused a number of beloved creators to burn out, hit writers and artists block and abandon series. With the exploitation of the manga series unlikely to be remedied anytime soon, this may become more and more prominent.