In the golden light of Hollywood’s legendary sign, a quiet revolution is brewing, and it has nothing to do with cameras or crews, as it has to do with algorithms, as the emergence of GenAI, which can produce images, sound and motion video out of basic commands, has the broad potential to transform the way movies and television programmes are produced, marketed and consumed.
Generative AI promises to create stunning images using only words, eliminating the need for location scouting, lighting, and employing VFX artists. This is not just a sci-fi concept; corporations and studios are actively testing the technology to achieve this.
The kind of visual effects that would take months to deliver to the tune of millions of dollars can now be achieved in a fraction of that time and budget. Netflix, the streaming behemoth, took advantage of Gen-AI to accomplish intricate visual effects for The Eternaut, finishing the task ten times faster. Beneath the excitement, a paradigm shift is occurring where tasks that previously required a corps of experts may soon need only a few specialists to oversee the use of AI tools. We are now transforming entire workflows, or rather, rendering them obsolete.
Hollywood has for years been an impregnable stronghold with big budgets, big studios and big risks, but GenAI stands poised to breach its gates. Suddenly, a creative impulse and a prompt are all that’s required to produce an image to rival Hollywood’s best offerings. Location shooting and intricate set designs are no longer necessary, as processing capability alone can evoke a rich world.
This democratisation is exhilarating for independent artists, students and dreamers with limited budgets. Yet, the double-edged sword which was balanced between art, artist and craftsmanship can potentially undermine the footnote status of the human factor. If AI is capable of producing characters, storylines, and even synthesised performers, it will fundamentally alter the storytelling experience.
However, not all professionals view GenAI as a detrimental influence on the industry. Some visionary directors and tech experts believe that AI will be an entirely new form of media, as they believe that AI will offer enhancement to artists without replacing them in the profession, much like the brush which paints infinitely and the camera which never goes out of focus.
However, the debate persists as Hollywood screenwriters, actors, and trade unions react to the potential use of AI, expressing concern that it could potentially blur the concept of art ownership. The strong opposition to the use of artificial actors emphasises that if artificial intelligence can reproduce human characters, then what good will human imagination be?
At the same time, elite events like the Oscars have even started to consider the implications of AI. The rules have been relaxed to recognise the existence of AI in filmmaking without actually banning it, as it’s a subtle yet important transition. The film industry has witnessed a rise in AI-powered projects, and many believe that it has improved in quality after AI was involved in its production.
With changes in employment, the type of talent that Hollywood wants will also change. Instead of set designers and camera technicians, studios might look for talent in AI narrators, prompt engineers and algorithmic cinematographers. They could also employ translators between human and machine as directors designing detailed instructions for digital processes to produce emotion and depth.
GenAI is at a crossroads as it either becomes a means that extends the boundaries of art or becomes a force that diminishes them over time. This is not simply an answer resting in bits and bytes, as it is a place where artists, studios, unions and audiences decide what to do with this technology.
