Case study · Animation

Rel-AI-tionship

An animation video exploring AI dependency in everyday life, told through the story of Steve, a man who gradually becomes dependent on AI for everyday choices, with humour and satire.

Storyboard with every scene placed on a timeline

Storyboard and planning

My role

Art Director, Lead Illustrator, Video Editor and Project Manager

Team

5 people

Format

Animation video

Tools

Krita, Photoshop, After Effects

Year

2026

The final animation.

01 - The story

AI tools such as ChatGPT can support daily life and work. But what happens when someone begins relying on AI for personal decisions rather than using it as a tool?

Rel-AI-tionship follows Steve, who wakes up and immediately asks his AI app what to eat. The AI suggests something he does not have at home, so he settles for a poor breakfast that leaves him tired all day. Later he chats with his girlfriend on WhatsApp, letting AI answer all of her questions for him, until she realises the truth, and instead of anger, feels infatuation with the AI itself.

Steve wakes up and asks his AI app what to eat

A poor, AI-suggested breakfast leaves him tired all day

The girlfriend, chatting with AI-written replies

His girlfriend chats with him, unaware AI is answering

Infatuation - hearts with robot logos over her eyes

She realises the truth, and feels infatuation with the AI

02 - Process

Storyboard and planning

A storyboard planned the story's structure, timing and flow. Each scene was placed on a timeline to organise the narrative, assign tasks, and prepare voice and sound elements before production.

From sketch to final

Sketches were drawn by hand on paper, sometimes referencing photos, then divided across the team. Drawings and animation were produced in Krita and Photoshop; the finished work was collected and edited into the final video in After Effects.

Hand-drawn sketch - Steve waking to the alarm

Sketch on paper - waking to the alarm

Sketch on paper - alarm clock detail

Redrawn in Krita and Photoshop

Ideation

Each team member spent two minutes writing a short story idea on paper, then rotated papers and continued each other's stories. Five concepts emerged, most exploring AI's role in daily life, and the group used dot voting to pick the final story.

Organising the workflow with Trello

Trello divided the work, tracked progress, and monitored what was to do, in progress, and done across the team.

Team animation guidelines

A guideline documented the key rules, style choices and workflow steps for working in Krita, keeping settings consistent across every team member's animation.

03 - Reflection

Using humour and satire, the film encourages viewers to reflect on the boundary between AI assistance and AI dependency.

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