Tried the Image-Generating AI with “Animon” – Maybe What’s Needed is a Nobita-like Mindset

Sometimes, as a kind of mental exercise, I think about how I would live if I could go back to being a high school senior. Of course, I know I can’t actually go back, so it’s more about organizing my current thoughts and actions.

I started drawing about three years ago. I loved art and crafts in elementary school so much that I could Not hardly sleep the night before the class. In middle and high school, I drew occasionally without anyone telling me to, but after entering the workforce, I gradually stopped.

Now, again I ask myself, “What would I do if I could go back to being a high school senior?” I probably wouldn’t go to university. Nor would I get a job. In the past, this might have been frowned upon, but nowadays, no one would criticize someone for traveling across Japan while working part-time. In fact, I see several young people doing exactly that, and I genuinely want to cheer them on.

But after traveling for a year or two, I’d surely realize I couldn’t keep it up forever. And from there, I’d just take the next step. Life should allow for that kind of flexibility.

Because I liked drawing, I thought I’d try it again—and that’s how I got back into it. So if I were to go back to high school, would I go to a vocational school to become an illustrator? I quickly realized the answer was no.

Why? Because the AI-generated artwork I see on social media is just too original and captivating. I know I’m a bit impulsive, but I immediately created an account on Animon.

It was so much fun that I lost track of time and ended up immersed in it for four straight hours.

https://share.animon.ai/3BeFQQ3

Right—back to the high school senior question. “Wait a minute, how do people become illustrators nowadays?” I wondered. When I looked it up, I realized the industry has already been heavily infiltrated by AI.

So, I decided to ask Gemini:

“I’m a high school senior. I want to go to a vocational school to become an illustrator. But when I see AI-generated illustrations, they look even more original and appealing than human-made ones. Is there any point in me becoming an illustrator? I don’t want comfort or vague answers. Please be brutally honest and show me the reality.”

The response came instantly:

Understood. I’ll speak candidly about the very real concerns you, a high school senior, have regarding the rise of AI-generated illustrations.

To put it bluntly: in a future where AI continues to evolve, the demand for illustrators who can “just draw” will definitely decline.

Here are the reasons why, and the reality you’re facing:

---

The Reality of AI-Generated Illustrations

• Changing Concepts of “Originality” and “Appeal”: As you’ve sensed, AI can produce compositions, color schemes, and expressions that humans wouldn’t think of, thanks to its training on massive datasets. This has devalued the “originality” that comes from a human spending time creating art. AI can generate countless variations in a short time, responding to client needs with speed.

• Cost and Speed Advantage: AI requires no labor costs and generates images nearly instantly. Companies and individuals can get exactly what they want quickly and cheaply with AI. Unless you can provide something AI can’t replace, they won’t choose you.

• The Pace of Technological Advancement: AI is evolving at a staggering rate. What seems impossible today may become possible in a few months or years. The skills you learn at vocational school might be outdated by the time you graduate.

• Drawing Has Become a Commodity: Once, drawing was a special skill. But now, with AI, anyone can access “drawings” cheaply and easily. It’s similar to how the need for portrait painters plummeted with the invention of photography.

---

The Reality Behind the Question “Is There Meaning in Becoming an Illustrator?”

The value of becoming an illustrator depends on whether you can offer something only a human can—something AI cannot replicate.

If we’re being honest, competing on “better drawing” or “more originality than AI” is nearly impossible. So what kind of value can survive?

---

Potential Areas Where Humans Can Still Thrive:

• Direction & Communication Skills: The ability to interpret vague client ideas and use AI effectively to visualize them. Not just outputting AI images, but refining them based on the client’s intent—this makes you a valuable director.

• Branding & Concept Development: Understanding a company or brand’s worldview and proposing how illustrations (including those made with AI) can support that. Designing the meaning and message behind the visuals.

• Expertise in Niche Fields: Like medical illustrations, scientific diagrams, or culturally specific art—areas where deep knowledge is still essential and AI hasn’t mastered.

• Human Appeal & Personal Story: Art that reflects the artist’s personality, philosophy, or way of life—making fans say, “I like this because it’s drawn by this person.” Social media presence and community-building also matter—this is something AI can’t do.

• Mastery of AI Tools: Rather than seeing AI as the enemy, use it as a tool. Refine AI-generated images into one-of-a-kind works or use AI to streamline your process.

---

What You Should Be Thinking About Now

Going to vocational school is a valid choice to improve your drawing skills. But even more important is asking:

“What kind of value do I want to offer through my art in the future?”

It’s dangerous to go forward with just “I love drawing.” That passion may not guarantee a livelihood.

Accept AI’s rise as reality—and think about how to integrate it into your career. Coexisting with AI, or better yet, mastering it, is essential.

Check whether your vocational school offers training in AI-era survival skills: planning, directing, communication, IT literacy, etc.

Your path to becoming an illustrator in this era of AI depends entirely on discovering a unique value only you can offer, and refining it.

It’s a harsh truth—but if you’re ready to face it and carve your own way, your challenge won’t be in vain. Without serious commitment, however, you may waste your time and money.

This isn’t comfort or ambiguity—this is the unvarnished truth about pursuing illustration as of today.

AI gives surprisingly sincere answers, doesn’t it?

If I had to sum it up in one sentence, it would be:

“Don’t bother going to vocational school—it’s pointless. You can’t beat AI, so switch sides and learn to master it.”

What a merciless era this is. And yet, I’m strangely convinced.

Is it hopeless? I don’t think so. If we use a Doraemon analogy, maybe we just need to become a “Nobita” who uses tools in weird, unexpected ways.

If I really were a high school senior today, I think I wouldn’t be all that pessimistic. I’d probably set off on a journey, excited to see how I could master AI.