HarperCollins Publishers and AI-powered animation studio Toonstar have announced a multi-year partnership to co-produce original YouTube series based on HarperCollins titles.
It marks the second announcement this week from the book publishing giant regarding a partnership with an AI-centered company.
On Monday, HarperCollins division Harlequin said it entered a multi-year agreement to co-produce 40 animated micro-dramas with AI entertainment company Dashverse. Inspired by Harlequin Romance titles, the collaboration launches in April, beginning with an adaptation of A Fairy-Tail Ending by Catherine Mann.
The deals highlight how book publishers are turning to AI as a way to explore new modes of storytelling, but they are also generating backlash from those who are not thrilled about the effort.
Toonstar’s partnership role
For the Toonstar partnership, the first series planned is Friendship List, based on the young adult series of the same name written by author Lisa Greenwald. This series will be accompanied by a graphic novel from HarperAlley, HarperCollins’s graphic novel imprint for kids and teens, based on the animation.
“Toonstar’s proven ability to translate beloved stories into engaging animation, while keeping artists at the center of the process, makes them the ideal partner to bring Friendship List and other popular titles to new audiences in formats today’s families love,” said Liate Stehlik, CEO and publisher for U.S. Trade at HarpersCollins, in a statement.
HarperCollins said the process will be creator-led, but has not addressed how authors will be involved or if they’ll receive royalties, reports Publishers Weekly.
“Our artist-centered approach ensures these beloved characters and stories stay true to the author’s vision, while our Ink & Pixel production technology enables fast, high-quality production at scale which unlocks the ability to meet audiences where and when they enjoy content today,” John Attanasio, CEO of Toonstar, said in a statement.
The animation studio was founded in 2015 by Attanasio and COO Luisa Huang. Their team consists of “creators, builders and technologists hailing from” companies such as Disney, Warner Bros., and Dreamworks.
Pushback from authors
Some authors have been vocally critical of the AI partnerships.
In response to the Harlequin and Dashverse partnership, author Sarah MacLean, a self-described “AI hater,” shared on Threads, “If you write for Harlequin, today is the day to send an email telling them you’re against the use of generative AI in all forms, and urge the company to pull out of the deal with Dashverse. Send the email to your editor and ask them to forward it up the chain.”
Writer Sylvia Day also shared her disappointment about the Toonstar partnership. In community Book Threads with 408,000 members, she said, “And now HarperCollins. Really sh!tty if authors aren’t given the option to opt out.”
HarperCollins Publishers did not respond to requests for comment.
AI collaboration trend across industries
HarperCollins’s partnerships point to a larger trend across creative industries as companies look to explore different ways to tell stories using AI.
A mix of feedback—negative and positive—from actors, writers, unions, and fans has emerged as a result of collaborations with AI companies in the world of entertainment.
Lionsgate’s deal with AI company Runway, inked in 2024, allowed Runway to train its video generation model on the studio’s movies and TV shows.
The deal was met with backlash, as artists and filmmakers feared being replaced by automation. Protections for actors against AI is a priority for labor union SAG-AFTRA and was at the forefront of the writers’ and actors’ strikes beginning in 2023.
More recently in March, Netflix acquired InterPositive, a filmmaking technology company founded by actor Ben Affleck that develops AI-powered tools built by and for filmmakers.
Affleck has said InterPositive does not provide video generation tools or rely on text-to-video prompts, but instead helps with the post-production process.
He expressed a desire to keep humans at the forefront of the creative process; Affleck is a signatory to the Creators Coalition on AI, an organization creating a hub for cross-industry discussions about generative AI’s impact on the entertainment industry.
InterPositive works by using footage from an existing production to build an AI model. The tools are intended to work alongside storytellers and not replace the work of writers, directors, actors, and crews, Netflix executives said in a press release.
Netflix and Affleck received mixed feedback on the acquisition.
In a TikTok video, creator Daniel Westheimer, a therapist who makes content about movies and mental health, said, “If I’m passionate about my fear about replacing artists in front of the camera, I should equally be as passionate about my fear around replacing artists behind the camera.”
In contrast, Kimberly A. Owczarski, an associate professor at Texas Christian University who studies media franchises, told NPR that Affleck promotes a responsible use of AI in filmmaking.