The iconic cat-and-mouse duo, Tom and Jerry, have made an unexpected comeback — this time courtesy of artificial intelligence. A one-minute AI-generated episode created using TTT-MLP, an advanced tool developed by Stanford and NVIDIA, has gone viral. Set in a modern New York office, the episode opens with Tom arriving at his workplace, only for Jerry to cause mischief by snapping a wire, triggering the familiar chaos.
The animation was produced using text prompts alone, showcasing how AI can generate multiple scenes with minimal human input. While the premise retains the classic chase formula, its execution has sparked a passionate debate online.
Watch: Tom and Jerry AI makeover
“Soulless”, “haunting”, or simply “progress”?
Public reactions have been mixed. On Instagram, many users slammed the episode because it lacked the charm of the original. One user wrote, “Looks soulless in my opinion… I am worried about animators who have a unique art style, and this will just steal all their effort.” Another said, “The original animators are turning in their graves.”
Some questioned the legality of the project: “How come they aren’t in legal trouble? Isn’t it stealing?” said one commenter. Others noted the flaws, with a user bluntly stating, “There’s a lot of errors!!”
AI-generated, but not error-free
Indeed, several viewers pointed out the awkward animation and lack of narrative depth. “Despite a lot of errors, it’s still too haunting seeing this,” read one comment. Another user sarcastically added, “Perfect! Now my fake news will have more visual content.”
Many also missed the emotional and comedic timing that defined the original hand-drawn series. “Something feels off,” wrote one, while another simply said, “Not even close.”
A glimpse into the future
However, not all feedback was negative. A handful of users expressed awe at how far AI has come. “Woah! We have come so far…” wrote one. For others, the technology sparked excitement about what lies ahead: “Bro, in 30 years my family’s going to be so rich because of technology.”
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