The entertainment industry is on the verge of a radical transformation as artificial intelligence (AI) advances in leaps and bounds, raising concerns about the future of human creative professionals in Hollywood.
Justine Bateman, director and former star of Family ties, warns that AI is getting perilously close to being able to create convincing simulations of human actors. With a background in computer science and digital media management from UCLA, Bateman wonders why people would continue to pay real actors a few years from now when AI can fill those roles.
“I emphasize that this is an existential threat,” warns Bateman, who is also a SAG-AFTRA consultant on artificial intelligence issues, in an interview with Variety. “And if they can do it with actors, they can do it with writers, directors, cameramen – all of us. We will be replaced by fragments of our own work, like a Frankenstein of our creations”.
The meteoric rise of AI-enabled content creation platforms has heightened tensions between entertainment unions and industry giants. Protests of writers’ and actors’ union strikes are often filled with anti-AI slogans such as “AI is not ART” and “Wrote ChatGPT this,” underlining concerns that AI is threatening the very essence of the human creative process.
At the heart of the matter are the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA, the writers’ and actors’ unions, respectively, who are seeking assurances that studios and streaming platforms won’t replace artists and creators with robots.
The proliferation of generative AI – advanced computing platforms that create new text and images based on a wide range of existing reference materials – has become the flashpoint in business negotiations. Uncertainty is the main challenge in the negotiations.
Is this concern exaggerated?
Against a backdrop of technological advances, Hollywood faces the challenge of balancing the integration of AI with the preservation of human creativity.
While AI can offer efficiency and innovative possibilities, the heart of the industry needs human emotions and feelings, something AI cannot yet replicate. So the future could be a hybrid ecosystem, where AI assists creative professionals, not replaces them.
The post Why Actors and Screenwriters Feel Threatened by Artificial Intelligence first appeared on Olhar Digital.
Source: Olhar Digital
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
