Hollywood film studio Lionsgate has signed a deal with artificial intelligence company Runway to develop custom AI models to “save millions of dollars” on film productions.
The deal comes as Lionsgate seeks to gain more control over the movie-making process at a time when the entertainment industry is grappling with the impact that AI will have on human crew, behind-the-scenes workers and actors in front of the camera.
The studio is first Create According to The Decoder, the tool will hopefully be used not only as a storyboard to help plan shots for a film, but also for backgrounds and special effects as it continues to be developed and refined.
Lionsgate vice chairman Michael Burns reportedly said he believes the tool could save films “millions of dollars” in pre-production costs.
Runway plans to fully digitize Lionsgate's entire film library, creating a “personalized AI library” for the studio.
Cristobal Valenzuela, CEO of the AI company, said that while the company's computer systems are not currently powerful enough to generate actual movie scenes, they are working towards that goal in the future. Valenzuela added that the latest Gen-3 Alpha Turbo model is available via an API.
Brianna Domont, senior vice president of visual effects at Lionsgate, said Runway's new tool could be a game changer in keeping filmmaking costs down, especially for lower-budget projects.
But many Hollywood actors and the families of legendary actors are concerned that AI tools could replace humans in the entertainment world, and some are rushing to make deals with AI to prevent other companies from stealing the image, likeness and voice of deceased actors.
However, many prominent actors and directors have warned that AI will lead to a complete disruption of the film industry.
Actor Nicolas Cage, for example, has warned that AI could lead to intellectual property theft, even going so far as to say that computers would “just steal my body.”
Oscar-winner Sean Penn similarly slammed the idea of AI, saying that in 2023 its use would create “human indecency.”
“Philadelphia” screenwriter Ron Nyswaner also warned this year that AI will produce soulless garbage, robbing artists and viewers of the ability to “think and feel”.
Producer, writer and director James Cameron said that A.I. Judgment DayA so-called catastrophe in which uncontrollable algorithms dominate warfare.
Directed by Ridley Scott Blade Runner Fame said AI is bad for humanity and likened the technology to a “technological hydrogen bomb.”
Director Christopher Nolan has said that AI will inevitably reach an “Oppenheimer moment” – a point of no return – and that humans will need to “take responsibility” for its development.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Facebook: facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Hustonor the Society of Truth Warner Todd Houston
