Jorge R. Gutiérrez's Punky Duck was announced as part of Amazon MGM Studios' GenAI Creators' Fund, following a punk duck and his best friend Smiley Cat through an exaggerated Los Angeles filled with alien invasions, giant monsters, and robot criminal conspiracies. The series was greenlit alongside BuzzFeed's Cupcake & Friends and Albie Hecht's Love, Diana Music Hunters.

Now things have taken a different turn.

Gutiérrez faced intense online backlash after revealing Punky Duck would use artificial intelligence for production. Fans criticized the Book of Life creator for joining the controversial initiative, pointing out how AI is reshaping traditional Hollywood jobs from storyboarding to production design. Many expressed disappointment that someone who once called AI a "mutant AI cockroach" was now embracing the technology.

In response to the criticism, Gutiérrez initially left Instagram comments open, warning he'd report death threats and threats to his family. He even shared a screenshot of his Wikipedia page being edited to call him a "sellout," joking it was funny. But the pressure mounted as fans reminded him that Punky Duck was greenlit in just two months compared to the decade it took to get The Book of Life approved.

Gutiérrez ultimately reversed course, posting on X.

"I have decided to drop out of the AI program at Amazon. I will not be making a Punky Duck series. Actions speak louder than words." He apologized to those he had upset, promising to be more cautious and ethical moving forward. His original intent was to showcase artists driving technology, not the other way around. The Mexican creator, behind El Tigre and Maya and the Three, now faces scrutiny over whether his U-turn was genuine or forced by public pressure.

Jorge R. Gutierrez Faces Fierce Fan Backlash After Embracing AI at Amazon