The CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, Tony Vinciquerra, said that he wants to use AI to cut costs in filmmaking. This statement was made after last year’s massive SAG-AFTRA protests against AI in film production. Because of this, his words will inevitably spark controversy.
This interview is just one of many examples of AI’s rise to ubiquity within the entertainment industry and one more example of the technology reaching executive offices. Here is a breakdown of Vinciquerra’s interview and what it means for this technology in film overall.
Sony Pictures CEO’s Words
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According to IndieWire, Sony Pictures CEO Tony Vinciquerra said that AI would be used to cut costs in film substantially. During Sony’s investor event in Japan, he expressed his desire to use artificial intelligence to cut time and money when producing content. He said, “We will be looking at ways to…produce both films for theaters and television more efficiently, using AI primarily.” With this technology already encroaching on the industry, it is unknown what his exact plans are.
Surprisingly, Vinciquerra was aware that this idea would be controversial. He acknowledged both the recent SAG-AFTRA strike and the IASTE discussions that were going on. Finally, the CEO said their company would be “strategic” with their investments. Naturally, his words attracted a wave of backlash across social media. Whether or not they continue to go through with this plan despite this is yet to be seen.
The Rise of AI
In the past few years, AI has gone from a sci-fi trope to a reality, for better or worse. AI has “recreated” many different art forms in the past few years. Some examples include AI voices, AI art, and AI writing. There is also the nightmare of AI-generated video. Furthermore, the technology constantly makes massive strides as the market’s value grows exponentially. While this may sound like a revolution in creative technology, the outcome has been far less ideal, such as with Google’s AI-generated answers.
The criticisms of AI’s rise are many and varied. One commonly cited argument is that AI cannot truly “create” new art and ideas. Much like Tolkien’s idea of evil, AI can only distort and rearrange existing ideas, much to the chagrin of copyright laws and intellectual property. Among artists and actors, the use of technology is universally reviled.
The AI Wars
When one thinks of the dangers of artificial intelligence, one usually imagines the likes of SHODAN or GLaDOS, but the truth is far more depressing. Since the rise of AI, jobs and creatives alike have been thrown into jeopardy as they were replaced by machines. Additionally, many actors and actresses, such as Scarlett Johansson, have engaged in legal battles to protect their likenesses from artificial intelligence.
Unsurprisingly, the rise of AI led to widespread backlash. In the summer of 2023, thousands of artists, writers, and creators took to the streets to protest the rise of AI in the filmmaking industry. These were the SAG-AFTRA above strikes that lasted eight months and led to the delays of many projects. If anything, this should highlight the gravity of AI’s threat to creativity in film.
With the CEO of such a massive corporation taking the side of artificial intelligence, many will take this as a sign that these programs are taking over. However, if legislation manages to catch up, we can save our art and the jobs of talented artists once and for all.
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