What Hollywood Insiders Have to Say About AI
Hollywood writers and actors are on strike. The main friction points in discussion are fairer salaries and stricter rules around the use of new Artificial Intelligence practices in film productions. Protests for fairer income distribution are nothing new for the movies industry but this is the first time that AI is a major topic in a work-related protest in any sector.
The reason for including AI in the discussion could be attributed to the increased usage of the technology in movie productions. Recent examples range from de-aging actors, such as in the new Indiana Jones movie, to bringing actors back to life, to using generative AI to make entire openings to TV series, such as in Marvel’s Secret Invasion. In addition to actors, screenwriters are also worried about how AI writing capabilities could threaten the future of their careers.
To better understand what industry insiders are concerned about, specifically in relation to the use of AI, and what they propose as a sustainable path forward, I decided to compile quotes from actors, writers, and other leaders in the movie industry. I also researched startups in the space to map what technologies are already out there or being developed to check if they match the concerns brought on by insiders.
What industry peers are saying
To set up some context, the union that represents actors called SAG-AFTRA recently joined screenwriters on their strike that was already active for over 2 months. Here is what one of the leaders of SAG-AFTRA had to say about an AI proposal submitted by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) that is supposed to protect actors’ digital likenesses:
“This ‘groundbreaking’ AI proposal that they gave us yesterday, they proposed that our background performers should be able to be scanned, get one day’s pay, and their companies should own that scan, their image, their likeness and should be able to use it for the rest of eternity on any project they want, with no consent and no compensation. So if you think that’s a groundbreaking proposal, I suggest you think again.” - Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, Chief Negotiator, SAG-AFTRA (source).
In another quote, Duncan stated:
“We are not anti-AI, it is OK for performers’ likeness, image, and voice to be digitally modeled and captured provided they know exactly what it will be used for and see that there are appropriate safeguards in place to make sure that that data is not made available beyond its intended use.” (source).
Actors also share this concern over their Intellectual Property in this new age of AI. When asked about the legal restrictions on who gets to use AI to recreate an actor’s performance, Tom Hanks said:
“This is what’s happening in Intellectual Property right now. There are discussions going on in all of the guilds, all of the agencies, and all of the legal firms in order to come up with the legal ramifications of my face and my voice and everybody else’s being our IP.
Right now, if I wanted to, I could get together and pitch a series of seven movies that would star me in them, in which I would be 32 years old from now until kingdom come. Anybody can now recreate themselves at any age they are, by way of AI or deep fake technology. I could be hit by a bus tomorrow and that’s it, but my performances can go on and on and on… Outside of the understanding that it’s been done by AI or deep fake, there’ll be nothing to tell you that it’s not me. That is an artistic challenge and also a legal one.” - Tom Hanks (source).
Harrison Ford, on the other hand, doesn’t think he would need to be legally protected from the use of AI in the future:
“I don’t think so. I don’t think it [AI] will be successful in producing the kind of results that human interaction and real relationships push through the minds of people with artistic impulse and an experience that they are trying to emotionally transmit. I don’t think that can be reproduced. And if so, I don’t think it will be of the quality of the ambition we want to be a part of.” - Harrison Ford (source).
However, in another interview, he does state to be scared of AI once it becomes creative:
“I acted those scenes, there was nothing creative [referring to his de-aged scenes in the new Indiana Jones movie]. What scares me about AI is when it begins to pretend to be creative.” (source).
Screenwriters were mostly impressed by ChatGPT’s capabilities and are also fighting for stricter rules on the usage of this technology by their employers:
“I was surprised at first, because ChatGPT appeared seemingly out of nowhere - but as soon as I became more familiar with its ever-increasing capabilities it became a concern.
It's likely here to stay, and we need to cope with the disruption. Writers are not trying to stop progress - we're just trying to build in some basic protections against employers who have proven time and time again they won't hesitate to exploit us if given the chance.” - Melissa Rundle, screenwriter (source).
Startups in the space
Marz: developer of an end-to-end AI solution for VFX. The company does not aim to replace VFX designers but to make their jobs more efficient. They claim to enable teams to deliver large volumes of high-end 2D aging, de-aging, cosmetic, wig, and prosthetic fixes. They have worked on many blockbuster productions, including Spider-Man No Way Home, Stranger Things, and Indiana Jones.
Runway: their mission is to realistically and consistently synthesize new videos with nothing but text. The company has already worked with many prominent brands, including New Balance, CBS, and Nick by helping them produce high-quality videos and images for their ads and shows.
Deepdub.ai: this company provides high-quality seamless localization of entertainment content using deep learning and AI algorithms. They can provide automated post-production dubbing services while retaining original voices, being the first to dub an entire feature film into Latin American Spanish using AI.
Respeecher: allow filmmakers, game developers, and other creators to create speech that is indistinguishable from the original speaker. They have, for instance, worked to de-age James Earl Jones’ voice for Darth Vader in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series and brought back Luke Skywalker’s voice for The Book of Boba Fett series.
StoryFit: this company also doesn’t look to replace screenwriters but to help them get insights on how their scripts will most likely resonate with audiences. Writers can send them their full scripts, which are analyzed by the company’s engine that then gives recommendations on how writers modify their work to better appeal to different audiences.
The Hollywood strike is the first of many work-related protests to include AI in the discussion. Once an extremely useful technology is out there, it is almost impossible to make people and organizations stop using it. It can, however, have deep impacts on human workforce and regulations around the technology should be developed in a way that its value can still be harnessed while diminishing the probability of it having negative impacts on society.
This seems to be aligned with what screenwriters and actors are currently fighting for in the entertainment industry. They do not want to stop studios from using AI but they want more rules and clarity on how their employers can use this technology. Actors’ performance can already be reproduced by AI with impressive quality so they need to protect their image / IP from being used without their consent. Screenplays can already be written by AI with impressive quality so writers should demand their employers to use it to make their jobs more efficient but not to replace them. Technology moves fast and so should regulatory guidance around it.
Dive Deeper
How streaming caused the TV writers’ strike by Vox.
8 startups bringing AI tech to Netflix, Lucasfilm, Marvel, and more Hollywood studios — and attracting millions in VC funding by Respeecher.
Thought of the Month
I am a long-time fan of Google Chrome’s web browser but I recently decided to try out Microsoft’s Edge browser since it is integrated with Bing powered by ChatGPT. After taking some time to set it up just as my Chrome was, I was really impressed with how useful the new Bing is. It can scan any web page, such as a news article or PDF, and give you a summary of the content, answer questions, or gather structured data from them. I highly recommend you try it out.