Moonbug Entertainment, the children’s entertainment studio that makes the hugely popular shows Cocomelon, Little Baby Bum, Blippi, and Mia’s Magic Playground has asked its animators to start using artificial intelligence while making its shows, 404 Media has learned.
asserted
Media → make → shows
Moonbug’s Generative AI policy and its “Studio AI Bible,” a guide to using AI to help generate content, seen by 404 Media, explain in detail how its AI use will work.
asserted
use → use → detail
The policies indicate that the company is in the initial stages of experimenting with AI in the creation of its shows, but that for the moment it has put several guardrails in place in part over legal and copyright concerns associated with using AI in a more substantial way.
asserted
it → indicate → way
AI is used to assist the artist, not be the artist,” the guidelines say.
asserted
guidelines → use → artist
“Always remember that we can only own (copyright) what a human has created and so we need to ensure the final execution involves substantial human creative input.
asserted
execution → remember → input
Our core IP (e.g. key characters/signature worlds and important backgrounds) must reflect substantial human creative input and intentionality.
asserted
IP → reflect → input
The documents show in detail how a major studio, which runs an empire of content that is wildly popular with infants, toddlers, and their families, is using AI.
asserted
that → show → AI
Moonbug’s shows have hundreds of millions of subscribers on YouTube, and many of its shows have spinoff series and movies that air across several major streaming services.
asserted
that → have → services
Cocomelon spinoffs air on Netflix, the studio is working on a Cocomelon movie for Universal, and the series is set to move to Disney+ next year.
asserted
series → air → Disney+
YouTube has been flooded with AI-generated content for infants and toddlers, but these documents indicate that even the biggest companies in the industry are using AI, albeit with far more thought and care than slop purveyors.
asserted
companies → flood → purveyors
Its properties also have various popular children and baby toys.
asserted
properties → have → children
“Like many media companies, we're exploring how AI tools can support our creative and production teams.
asserted
tools → explore → teams
Today, generative AI is not used in episodes of our content,” a Moonbug spokesperson told 404 Media.
asserted
spokesperson → use → Media
“Our core principle is that AI should assist the artist, not be the artist.
asserted
AI → assist → artist
Our guidelines prohibit AI from originating key creative elements such as new characters, core storylines and song lyrics, and require substantial human creative input.
asserted
guidelines → prohibit → input
Everything we produce — whether they incorporate AI-assisted elements or not
asserted
they → produce → elements
The guidelines say that AI can be used for ideation, scripting, storyboarding, design, and animation, but has put guardrails on how AI can be used in each step of the process.
asserted
AI → say → process
For example, the company says animators can use AI for “utility tasks/standard production enhancers,” but cannot use it to “alter a VO/actor’s performance without checking with Legal.”
asserted
animators → say → Legal
It says AI can be used “to refine a human-authored draft,” but “no ghost-writing.
asserted
AI → say → draft
The narrative ‘soul’ and key dialogue beats must remain human-authored.”
asserted
soul → remain → ?
The company says AI can be used to “generate visual research, vibe boards, brainstorm ideas and concepts and exploring texture/colour/lighting references,” but that there is “no ‘prompt to product.’
asserted
AI → say → product
It must be translated into a studio-drawn concept to ensure it meets our technical standards and style.”
asserted
it → translate → standards
At times, the guide gets very granular.
asserted
guide → get → times
It says workers are allowed to use AI to create “generic” designs and textures, such as trees in a background or furniture, for character outfit changes, or for “creating 3D turnarounds from existing human-created 2D characters,” but usually cannot use it to create wholly new characters.
asserted
workers → say → characters
“The [AI] assets must be processed by an artist (eg over-painted, tweaked) to ensure human in loop.
asserted
assets → process → loop
All new characters should be human created (unless have had approval for specific IPs).
asserted
characters → create → IPs
Props — if we are creating something unique and to be heavily featured in the series e.g. the Clubhouse — it must be human created.
asserted
it → create → series
All franchise specific worlds should be human created (unless intended to be generic).”
asserted
worlds → create → ?
The company is requiring employees to “first test all tools with non Moonbug IP and/or test assets before proceeding with legal approval.”
asserted
company → require → approval
After being approved by legal, employees are allowed to use AI to help create assets for Moonbug shows, but all AI use, including the prompts used to generate assets, must be cataloged and saved.
asserted
use → approve → assets
The company spokesperson told 404 Media that “non Moonbug IP” refers to generic assets that the company has made: “We created generic test characters and environments so teams can freely explore new tools without using Moonbug IP or anyone else's IP.
asserted
teams → tell → IP
If a tool proves useful, further testing with Moonbug IP requires appropriate approvals.”
asserted
testing → prove → approvals
“Making content for young children comes with a particular responsibility, regardless of the tools involved,” the spokesperson added.
asserted
spokesperson → make → tools
“Our GenAI guidelines add another layer of guardrails: no ‘prompt-to-product,’ human authorship of core creative elements, approved tools and legal review, protections around performers and third-party IP, and human review of finished work.
asserted
guidelines → add → work
Ultimately, people make the creative decisions about what is appropriate and worthy of our audience.”
asserted
what → make → audience
All AI tools that the company uses must have individual legal approval, and all AI-generated assets must be kept in separate file folders than human-created ones using a system it is calling “provenance and isolation,” according to the guidelines.
uncertain
it → use → guidelines
The “goal” of this file management system is “to ensure we always have a path back to human-authored works to maintain copyright ownership over what matters.”
asserted
what → ensure → ownership
“Every project must have a dedicated folder for AI generated assets.
asserted
project → have → assets
No file from this folder should be moved into main production folders without being processed by human artist [sic] first.
asserted
file → move → artist
All 100% human created assets must also be stored and labeled properly,” the guidelines say.
asserted
guidelines → create → ?
…and 6 more, not listed.
The Aporia
