In recent years, emerging technologies represented by AIGC (Artificial
Intelligence-Generated Content) have been rapidly reshaping the landscape of
animation creation; yet, within the core domain of character design—a pivotal
stage in animation prod...
In recent years, emerging technologies represented by AIGC (Artificial
Intelligence-Generated Content) have been rapidly reshaping the landscape of
animation creation; yet, within the core domain of character design—a pivotal
stage in animation production—many designers remain notably cautious, even
hesitant, toward embracing these tools. While they acknowledge AIGC’s potential
to significantly enhance workflow efficiency, they simultaneously harbor deep
concerns regarding possible job displacement, erosion of creative autonomy, and
entanglement in complex copyright disputes. This ambivalent
stance—characterized by a desire to leverage AI’s capabilities while fearing its
unintended consequences—has emerged as a critical bottleneck impeding the
broader intelligent transformation of the animation industry. To systematically
investigate this phenomenon, this study builds upon the well-established
Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), extending it into a more nuanced,
profession-specific framework tailored to the unique context of animation
character designers. Beyond retaining the foundational constructs of Perceived
Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use, the proposed model innovatively integrates
four external variables: two facilitators—Personal Innovativeness and Social
Influence—and two inhibitors—Learning Cost and Professional Anxiety—thereby
capturing both the motivational drivers and practical barriers influencing adoption
decisions. Moreover, the study explicitly examines how Technological Literacy
and Years of Experience moderate the transition from attitudinal acceptance to
actual behavioral intention, recognizing that professional background shapes not
only initial perceptions but also the capacity to translate those perceptions into
practice. Empirically, the research was conducted between September and
October 2025, targeting professional animation character designers across mainland
China, with a final sample of 613 valid respondents drawn from major animation
hubs—including Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou—ensuring broad
representation across employment types (freelancers, studio-based designers, and
corporate art personnel) and experience levels (ranging from 1 to over 15 years).
Out of 680 questionnaires distributed online, 613 met rigorous validity
criteria—such as sufficient response time, logical consistency, and successful
attention checks—yielding an effective response rate of 90.15%. Adopting a
mixed-methods strategy prioritizing quantitative rigor while enriching findings
through qualitative depth, the study first employed Partial Least Squares
Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze large-scale survey data and
test hypothesized relationships; subsequently, semi-structured in-depth interviews
were conducted with 10 representative industry experts—including senior concept
artists, art directors, independent creators, and technical artists—to probe the
underlying motivations, real-world constraints, and institutional expectations
revealed by the quantitative patterns, thereby enabling triangulation and deeper
interpretive insight. The findings collectively indicate that AIGC adoption among
animation character designers is shaped by a confluence of interdependent
factors: Personal Innovativeness emerges as the most salient positive predictor,
with designers naturally inclined toward experimentation demonstrating markedly
more favorable attitudes; conversely, the dominant obstacle is not existential fear
of replacement, but rather the tangible Learning Cost associated with mastering
prompt engineering, fine-tuning model parameters, and reconfiguring established
workflows—an everyday burden that often outweighs theoretical benefits in
practice; notably, experienced professionals (with four or more years in the field)
and those possessing higher technological literacy do not resist change per se—in
fact, once convinced of AIGC’s utility, they exhibit stronger implementation
intentions than their less seasoned counterparts, suggesting that accumulated
expertise can serve as a strategic asset in navigating technological transitions;
finally, the prevailing caution observed across the cohort stems largely from the
absence of robust institutional safeguards, particularly the unresolved legal
ambiguities surrounding copyright ownership of AI-generated outputs and the
questionable legitimacy of training datasets, which collectively discourage
designers from deploying AIGC tools in commercial contexts where accountabil ty
and intellectual property rights are paramount. By illuminating the nuanced
decision-making logic of creative professionals confronting disruptive innovation,
this study not only advances theoretical understanding of technology adoption in
artistic domains but also delivers concrete, actionable guidance for
stakeholders—including AIGC tool developers, animation studios, and
policymakers—emphasizing the urgent need to lower usabil ty thresholds, establish
clear copyright frameworks, and strategically empower mid-career practitioners as
catalysts for sustainable human–AI collaboration in animation creation.