Is AI the future of Hollywood? How the hype squares with reality
... At a live podcast taping titled “Generative AI: Oh God What Now?” two technologists pondered how many creativity-driven jobs will get taken over by machines. In a “Shark Tank”-esque pitch session, entrepreneurs proposed new ways to integrate AI into entertainment, such as by splitting audio stems or visualizing film scripts automatically. ...
Santa Monica-based Flawless has focused on using deep-fake-style tools to edit actors’ mouth movements and facial expressions after principal photography has wrapped. Playa Vista’s Digital Domain is bringing the technology to bear on stunt work. ...
But for all the hype, some remain skeptical, wondering how much of the excitement is venture capital-fueled froth.
It was only a year ago, at SXSW 2022, that technologists seemed all in on crypto. But soon enough, crypto values plummeted, regulators cracked down and industry mainstays imploded. Even the metaverse — the other “next big thing” Silicon Valley’s been pitching in recent years — has thus far proven underwhelming. ...
The rise of AI in writing has also raised concerns by unions representing screenwriters, who fear studios might replace experienced TV and film scribes with software. This year, the Writers Guild of America will demand studios regulate the use of material produced by artificial intelligence and similar technologies as part of negotiations for a new pay contract this year. ...
“That doesn’t mean that AI will never be able to produce a truly funny sitcom script or a masterfully moving film score,” she said. “But it will have to be a different kind of AI. We’re not there yet, and I don’t think we will be soon. In my opinion, anyone who claims to know when and how that will happen is engaging in either deception or wishful thinking.” ...
“I bet sometime in the next handful of years that there becomes this horrible industry practice where you have to have multiple variations before things are greenlit,” Webb said in an interview. “And then there’s a, like, predictive algorithm that tries to determine which version has the highest likelihood of grossing the most [money].” ...
See the full story here: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2023-03-18/is-a-i-the-future-of-hollywood-hype-vs-reality-sxsw-tye-sheridan
