Just days after the April 4 premiere of Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 3: Adopted Daughter of an Archduke, WIT Studio is walking back part of the episode.
Following viewer feedback and social media scrutiny pointing out tell-tale signs of generative AI in the opening sequence’s background art, the studio launched an internal investigation. The result? WIT confirmed that some cuts in the opening used generative AI—and they’re not letting it slide.
In a statement released Friday, WIT Studio acknowledged that “due to inadequacies in its production management and inspection systems,” generative AI was used for certain background art cuts in the opening sequence. The company stressed that, aside from an experimental short titled Inu to Shōnen created specifically to test new technologies, it has not allowed the use of generative AI in any of its productions.
Despite that policy, the incident still occurred. WIT takes “full responsibility.”
Starting with episode two, the opening sequence will be replaced with a “completed version” featuring redrawn background art for the affected cuts. The studio confirmed that no other use of generative AI has been found elsewhere in the show.
They also clarified that the art director and background art studio NAM HAI ART were not involved in the incident.
WIT stated it will use this situation “as an opportunity to look at its production process guidelines and management system in order to prevent recurrence.” For a studio known for acclaimed work like Spy x Family, Vinland Saga, and Attack on Titan‘s early seasons, the admission is a rare misstep—but the swift response suggests they’re taking it seriously.
Source: X (formerly known as Twitter), Anime News Network
