The debate over the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in Hollywood hasn’t ended with the resolution of last year’s SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, and it remains as intense as ever. As someone with a foot in both entertainment and technology, I’ve heard AI described as everything from a harbinger of creative death to the midwife of Hollywood’s rebirth.
Both arguments have merit. Many feel powerless in the hands of the tech giants behind AI. Even Scarlett Johansson, one of the world’s most acclaimed actresses, has not been able to escape suspicions that Open AI is exploiting her vocal similarity. If she couldn’t stop them, how can a newbie indie filmmaker?
But the question isn’t how to stop AI from influencing Hollywood. The question is whether creators (of all sizes) can understand the technology, leverage it where appropriate, and protect themselves when necessary. Staying ahead of the curve is key.
17% of adults ages 18-29 believe that AI will create more jobs, compared to just 3% of adults ages 45-64. Meanwhile, 29% of 45-64 year olds believe that AI will significantly reduce jobs, compared to just 9% of 18-29 year olds. Training in new skills is even more difficult if you’ve been in the same job for most of your life. It’s clear that older generations are more worried about AI, but that’s probably because they don’t fully understand it.
It might be helpful to position AI as the next iteration of entertainment technology. When I worked at Vimeo, I heard people worry that online editing tools would replace videographers. Fears about new technology and its future are nothing new. Movie theaters feared video rentals. Cable networks feared streaming. Original scene designers feared being replaced by CGI. None of this prevented the technology from advancing. But it prevented many people from seeing the benefits of the technology.
Unsurprisingly, the demonization of AI is rife in Hollywood, where the average age of a director is 46 for men and 47 for women. In a 2023 podcast, director Justin Bateman described AI as “a mass unemployment killer.” According to Bateman, anyone who signs up to AI tools “will go down in history as the person who ended the 100-year-old film industry.” [entertainment business]”
AI critics might want you to believe that AI will replace all writers, actors, directors, producers, etc. Their approach to AI is fear-driven, and that makes sense. But I would argue that many creators adopt a different mindset. They know that AI can never replace humans. And while AI will inevitably get better at copying humans, it will never be able to replicate the experiences we share. Consider last summer’s Pink Magic. Barbie The phenomenon, the emotion of Forrest Gump visiting Jenny’s grave. No AI can take that away, and no one wants to.
Don’t get us wrong: large language models such as ChatGPT and diffusion models pose a real threat to copyrighted material. Blockchain and other ledger technologies offer solutions for ownership, but need to be further developed. In the meantime, to dismiss AI applications altogether would be a simplification and overlook how AI tools are already improving the industry.
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Breaking news: AI isn’t the only problem “plaguing” Hollywood. The lack of diversity is well-known but not getting better. Only 17% of directors of the top 250 box office-grossing films in 2023 are women, a slight improvement from 9% in 2022. It’s not just a gender issue, either: Diverse films have more success at the box office, yet only 17% of theatrical directors in 2022 were people of color.
The application of artificial intelligence could help level the playing field and democratize Hollywood. A newly launched platform, Showrunner, promises to be the “Netflix of AI.” Showrunner users can create episodes of Showrunner series that are written, produced, cast, and filmed by AI.
Skeptics might call this the “AI domination” they’ve been warning about, but the industry should welcome its accessibility. Previously excluded groups will have access to creative and filmmaking tools typically reserved for big-name producers. No longer will you need an expensive art degree, a grueling unpaid studio internship, or fake nepotism to make something that gets noticed. And that’s a good thing.
We must give these voices a platform to share their work. Dismissing them as AI-related will erase hundreds of new and unique stories from the industry. I’ve heard from some colleagues that just bringing these things up will make some directors refuse to work with you. Dividing up-and-coming creators from each other will allow those with power to stay in power, and those who (mis)use AI to continue doing so. New channels for industry gatekeeping will never improve the statistics above.
Clever use of AI can deliver these benefits and enable powerful collective action. In the art world, a team from the University of Chicago launched Project Glaze, a free online machine learning tool designed to “confuse” AI and prevent it from copying styles. The AI model reads the “hidden” art as an entirely different art style, effectively making it impossible to copy. This innovative approach was only possible through collaboration between creators and technologists.
Similar collaborations are also bearing fruit in the regulatory realm. In May, the Illinois Senate approved a bill that would allow artists to take legal action against companies that use AI to replicate their work. The bill passed after a similar bill to protect artists from being replaced by AI content was passed. Both bills were in part the result of creator lobbying, demonstrating the power of informed collective action against bad actors in AI.
No matter how much some people wish it were true, AI isn’t going to magically disappear. It’s time for a proactive approach rather than a fearful reaction. What Hollywood needs now is disruptive change, and it’s up to current directors, creatives, and technologists to make it happen.
The evolution of the entertainment industry depends on its ability to balance innovation and preservation. Most social changes are double-edged swords that take time to handle properly. AI and the emerging technologies that follow it should enrich human creativity, not replace it. Hollywood will be better for it.
Andrea Berry is the Director of Business Development at Theta Labs.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom, seeking common ground and finding connections.
