2 Days After Confirmation, Amazon-Backed AI Project Is Officially Scrapped After Criticism

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The rise of AI-generated content has unfortunately led to job losses for many creative professionals, while others benefit from their work. But sometimes, the public ultimately gains from these developments.

The Hollywood Reporter announced on May 27th that Amazon launched a fund for AI-generated content and greenlit three animated shows created using artificial intelligence. This decision sparked significant criticism, leading to the cancellation of one of those shows.

A Punky Duck AI Series Won’t Happen

One of the animated series planned using AI technology was called Punky Duck, and filmmaker Jorge Gutierrez was originally going to work on it. However, after a strong negative reaction to the announcement, Gutierrez revealed on May 29th that he was leaving the project.

I’m leaving the AI program at Amazon, and I won’t be creating a show called Punky Duck, he announced on X, adding that his actions will demonstrate his future direction.

Gutierrez explained that their goal was to highlight artists of all levels – both emerging and established, working both within and outside traditional studios – and demonstrate how they’re using new technology. They apologized to anyone who was offended and committed to improving in the future, thanking people for their understanding and promising to put in more effort.

Amazon announced the GenAI Creators’ Fund at the AI on the Lot conference, a new initiative supported by Amazon Web Services. As part of this program, three series—including the now-canceled Punky Duck—will be available to stream on Prime Video.

The upcoming animated series, Punky Duck, uses artificial intelligence to create its visuals and tells the story of a charming, rebellious duck and his sidekick, Smiley Cat. Together, they navigate a ridiculously over-the-top version of Los Angeles, getting caught up in everything from alien attacks and giant monsters to robot crime and dramatic family situations – and they usually mess up while trying to be good.

Besides Punky Duck from Maya and the Three director Jorge Gutierrez, the other new shows included Love, Diana Music Hunters, starring YouTube personality Diana and created by former Nickelodeon executive Albie Hecht, and Cupcake & Friends, a series from Buzzfeed Studios.

The AI Push Continues

Despite some negative reactions to AI in films, like the Oscar-winning short The Brutalist, Hollywood continues to develop projects using the technology. One upcoming film from the director of Edge of Tomorrow plans to digitally recreate figures like Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Vladimir Putin, Jack Dorsey, and Kim Jong-un. Meanwhile, another filmmaker has strongly defended her use of AI, stating that embracing it responsibly is essential for the future of cinema, while failing to do so could be detrimental.

As a lifelong movie fan, it’s honestly a little unsettling to see how far things are going. It feels like no one is safe from being ‘resurrected’ digitally, even actors who are no longer with us. I recently read about a historical drama that one beloved actor sadly never got to film, but now, thanks to AI, they’re planning to feature a… well, a very odd, younger-looking version of him in it. And it doesn’t stop there! Apparently, a company called ElevenLabs is working on recreating his voice and image for all sorts of projects, even having him narrate classic books. It’s fascinating, but also kind of creepy, to think about.

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2026-05-29 19:40