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Jorge R. Gutierrez Cancels AI Project After Harassment Towards Himself and His Family

  • May 28
  • 2 min read

Emmy Award-winning animator and director Jorge R. Gutierrez has withdrawn from Amazon MGM Studios' GenAI Creators' Fund following an intense wave of online backlash that escalated into personal threats. The creator, widely recognized for his distinct artistic style in projects like The Book of Life and El Tigre, announced his departure from the program just two days after its public unveiling. 


The controversy began on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, when Amazon announced a new initiative providing creators with funding and access to its internal AI production platform, Project Nara. Gutierrez was named as a participant with an AI-assisted animated series titled Punky Duck. Public scrutiny intensified after a panel appearance where Gutierrez used a controversial analogy to describe the rapid speed of AI development, stating that animating with AI was like "having sex and then they hand you the baby". 


Initial criticism from the animation community focused on the ethical implications of generative AI, with fans expressing disappointment and labeling Gutierrez a "sellout" for endorsing technology that many fear threatens traditional animation jobs, and which he publicly condemned in 2024.


However, the pushback rapidly deteriorated into targeted and severe harassment. Online users organized campaigns against the director, leading to the vandalism of his Wikipedia page. The hostility quickly expanded to target Gutierrez's family members. Gutierrez issued a statement on social media confirming that he had received death threats directed at his wife, Sandra, and his son, Luka. He urged critics to leave his family alone and vowed to report any physical threats. 


Faced with escalating safety concerns and acknowledging the severity of the attacks, Gutierrez formally announced on Friday, May 29, 2026, that he was dropping out of the AI program and canceling the Punky Duck series. In his statement, he offered a sincere apology to those he had upset and promised to do better moving forward, concluding that "actions speak louder than words". 

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