OMHP Takes On AI Intelligence: What Does AI Mean for Hollywood?
Welcome to the latest episode of One Moore Hollywood Podcast! This installment is about how AI is reshaping Hollywood, from personalized movie recommendations to content summaries to AI-generated storytelling. Our OMHP hosts, Chris Moore, Katie Marpe, and Dennis De Nobile, discuss what AI means for Hollywood. Will AI technology eventually replace creative jobs? How should we, as creatives, approach AI–as a tool to enhance our work or as something to avoid?
Let’s see what Moore & Co have to say.
Should We Fear AI?
Should we be fearful of AI technology?
The short answer from our hosts is probably not. AI is simply a technology that can be used in a million and one ways. What we should be concerned with is how people will use it and whether or not there will be regulations to ensure its honest use. Just because a computer can write a rom-com without human assistance doesn't mean that’s what’s going to happen. As our hosts say, whether or not a tool is ethical often depends on the choices of the one who wields it. "Nearly everything on this planet can help or hurt people depending on how it's used or who's using it," De Nobile states.
Whether or not AI technology will replace human jobs has yet to be seen. So far, companies have primarily used AI to aid in summarizing extensive material rather than as a replacement for employees. While it's likely a computer will eventually replace some jobs of that nature, that's no different than times when other new technologies, such as digital film, have emerged and changed the entertainment industry's landscape and job scene.
According to Reese Witherspoon, who faced a lot of backlash when she made these comments, the smart thing to do is to learn the new technology so that it can aid you rather than replace you. She emphasized this advice to women, people of color, and those regularly othered in developmental spaces. "...they really need to get in there because we need to have our consciousness represented," she said.
Marpe believes that, if thoughtfully regulated, AI could potentially create more opportunities for people. She references SAG-AFTRA, which just signed a new video game contract with protections around AI use for actors who want to make generative voices.
Honesty Is the Best Policy
Some other ways AI may be integrated into the industry involve marketing strategies–finding ideal windows for film releases, collecting data, and personalizing algorithms. In some instances, using AI for marketing may be cheaper than paying people, meaning indie films could use it to their advantage financially. "There are lots of things that don't need the expertise of a human genius, but the question is if it's honest," Moore says.
Moore points out that he's worked on movies where the studio has made him shoot a scene solely for the trailer. "That isn't any more dishonest than having AI put your trailer together," he says. "There are 'dishonest' things that are part of 'movie magic,' and we all assume you're trying to tell the best version of the story," Moore adds.
The ethical questions start when AI is used to manipulate the actual content of a film, especially if it goes unacknowledged. For example, in the true crime Netflix documentary What Jennifer Did, the creators allegedly used AI several times to alter ‘real’ photos they presented of the woman accused of the crime. Outside sources pointed out the irregularities in the images, but the producer who responded denied AI's use, saying that something was only altered in the background of the image to anonymize the source.
Despite this producer denying the use of AI, this scandal raises legitimate questions about how an audience is expected to trust the images they are presented with, especially in a documentary, which theoretically reports the truth of the story.
De Nobile also raises issues surrounding generative extend, an AI capability that allows a scene to be extended past the point when it naturally ends. If implemented in a film, this could cause issues for actors and audiences alike regarding the authenticity of the scenes. While some might mention CGI use in film as a counterpoint, AI is an entirely different computational system and should be treated as such. "It's the idea that they're falsifying how something was made, and that bums me out,” Moore says.
Unfortunately, regulations for new technologies are often slow to emerge and are usually prompted by someone taking it to court for losing them money. Currently, there are few restrictions on how someone could use AI to generate new content. Our hosts wonder whether regulations might arise as they did with Instagram advertising–put in place after users became angry about influencers selling them things without acknowledging their paid brand partner status. Similarly, regulations could grow from the audience's frustration with dishonest AI use in film.
As it is, only time will tell how AI regulations will develop. All we can anticipate is that the next generation will grow up with AI as a regular part of their lives. Whether we like it or not, AI is here to stay, so we might as well learn to use it.
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