[Annecy 25] Animating Futures: China-Europe Dialogue in the Age of AI

Co-hosted by the School of Animation and Digital Arts at the Communication University of China (CUC), Jilin Animation Institute (JAI), and the Alliance Cinéaste Chine-Europe (ACCE), the panel stood out as the only China-Europe animation education event at this year’s Annecy Festival. The aim was to create bridges, linking the present and future of animation education across continents.

The forum centered on three major themes: educational transformation in response to AI, new opportunities for China-Europe collaboration, and global strategies for talent development and resource sharing. The conversation that followed extended into pressing global industry topics—from the growing concerns of animation unions in Europe over AI’s potential to replace creative jobs, to China’s proactive release of the AI Animator Action Plan.

Isabelle Vanini, Executive Director of the Association Française du Cinéma d’Animation (AFCA), shared the organization’s 50-year mission of supporting French animators and expressed a strong desire to collaborate with ACCE to foster deeper exchanges between Chinese and French animation studios and filmakers.

Gai Shirui, Vice President of JAI, shared the latest explorations in international exchange and talent cultivation in the context of AI. She introduced the institute’s reforms and practices in leveraging AI to drive innovation in film and animation education.,

Ma Li, President of the China Animation Association, emphasised that AI represents more than just a technological shift — it is a transformative force reshaping how we train talent, preserve culture, and define creative authorship.

But how can animation education evolve in response to technological disruptions? Ai Shengying, Head of the Animation Department of CUC, shared his insights on how the rapid evolution of AI video tools is fundamentally altering the learning paths and competencies needed in animation education, while Joe King, Senior Tutor in Animation at the Royal College of Art (UK), spoke about the anxiety many students feel about AI devaluing their traditional craft:

AI should be a tool for creativity, not a replacement. Whatever the medium, strong drawing skills and original thinking remain essential.

John Coven, Director of the Animated Film Department at GOBELINS Paris, described the rise of AI as a “flood”, inevitable and irrepressible:

Some try to build dams, but the water always finds a way. From what we’ve seen today, China’s approach to integrating AI in animation could provide a meaningful path forward.

The forum highlighted how different cultural perspectives shape distinct strategies in the face of a shared technological wave.