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A Love Letter to Entertainment

In the beginning, it was lights, camera, action. Then, with evolution, came sound, followed by non-linear editing, and then computer animation. Now, it's time for a revolution, with the next “and then”: AI. The story of entertainment is a rich tapestry woven with threads of imagination and innovation. Within these stories, we’ve seen future worlds, including those with AGI AI. AI found its roots as the heart of science fiction nearly 100 years ago.

In 1927’s Metropolis, the main character, Maria, is a loving and inspirational leader of the workers. However, a scientist named Rotwang creates a robot double of Maria and uses it to incite chaos among the workers, sabotaging Maria's mission of promoting unity between the workers and elite classes. This film is considered one of the most influential of all time. It’s led to other films with AI as a primary threat or savior, for instance;  Gort from The Day the Earth Stood Still or HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey where each was designed to protect humanity, sometimes from itself.

These characters were not mere figments of fantasy but harbingers of the world to come. Fast forward to the 80s, and AI took a darker tone with more muscular themes. In Blade Runner, questions about whether the replicant AI sentience had the same rights as humans, to the T-800 being sent back in time to end a future war with humanity, were explored. Today, we’re at the precipice of having AI not just play a character in our stories; it has already started writing, directing, and even acting in our stories. This earlier use of cinematic AI symbolizes the era's mixed feelings towards technology: its potential for both progress and destruction.

The Enchantment of AI in Filmmaking

The charm of filmmaking has always been its ability to whisk us away to worlds unknown, emotions previously unfelt, and adventures unimagined. Today, AI is enhancing this magic in ways Stanley Kubrick could only dream of. For instance, James Cameron has embraced AI’s role in his films, like his Avatar franchise, especially for tasks like pre-visualization and storyboarding, thus enhancing both efficiency and creative output. He's quoted as saying, "We've harnessed machine deep learning to expedite our creative process without sidelining the essential human element.”

He acknowledges AI's ability to generate aesthetically pleasing visuals by drawing from a vast pool of existing imagery, reflecting a collective aesthetic consciousness. Yet, he shares concerns about AI’s inability to understand the artistry his films demand. He has called AI a "stochastic parrot," capable of mimicking capabilities without genuine comprehension. "The challenge," he states, "is balancing AI's contributions against the imperative to preserve the core of human creativity in our work."

Essentially, Cameron views AI as a complement to the artistic journey, not a replacement, emphasizing the need to keep the artist's lived experience at the heart of storytelling. As I’ve shared, in prior newsletters, I also believe this to be the right view.

The Double Edged Sword

On the other end of the spectrum, Tyler Perry also a Hollywood titan, recently paused an $800 million studio expansion, swayed by the "mind-blowing" potential of AI to redefine filmmaking. After viewing what OpenAI’s Sora can do, he sees it not merely as a tool but as a revolution in a box, promising filmmakers the ability to craft visual narratives limited only by their creativity, not by the teams they previously depended on to create the product.

We tread a fine line between innovation and erosion. The allure of AI's efficiency and cost-saving prowess comes with a catch.  A report released by CVLEconomics in January 2024, estimates that 204,000 creative jobs will be impacted in the next 3 years. That's just the creative side. The catch is as follows - larger production and post-production crews will require less people across the board including: set designers, builders, craft services, electricians, pyrotechnicians, production assistants, camera operators, etc... For smaller creators, where there’s an opportunity to produce non-studio backed ideas, the quality of what’s produced will look homogeneous. There will likely be nothing that stands out in a sea of mediocrity.

But it's not just production and post-production being impacted. with MidJourney's recent release of consistant character output, preproduction will be impacted as well. Who needs a storyboard artist when you have Midjourney? And as is true for all people with AI tools being built into your line of work, those who know the tools, will be those who remain relevant. It's going to be extremely important now, for storyboard artists to learn this tool.

The advent of tools like OpenAI’s Sora and MidJourney offers unprecedented opportunities for storytelling, yet it also brings to the forefront the urgent need for guardrails. Drawing lessons from the unchecked rise of social media, which legitimized tabloid-level misinformation fit for the Weekly World News, it's important that both television and film industries should not only celebrate innovation but also emphasize the importance of maintaining diversity, authenticity, and human insight. Implementing robust guardrails, with humans leading the way, will be crucial to ensure AI serves as an enhancer of human creativity and not the enabler of milquetoast output.

Gaming: The Next Entertainment Frontier

To this day people primarily believe film and television to be the predominant form of visual entertainment and social media is eating away at it. Ironically, they haven't been the leader since the early 90s, a reality that predates social media. For instance, in 1994 arcades alone generated $7 billion in revenue compared to only $5 billion at cinemas. As of 2018, if you took all global forms of movie sales (theater, physical and digital ) it would only total $92.1 billion vs the gaming industries $138 billion in sales. As of 2022, it’s expected to grow from $217 billion in 2022 to over $580 billion by 2030.

So why does this perception persist? The answer lies in branding and marketing. You're probably aware of the Oscars and Emmys, but what about the Game Awards? The 2024 Oscars attracted 19.5 million viewers, and that was up from 18.8 million the year prior. Pretty good right? However, the most recent 2023 Game Awards had 118 million live streams - that's 6 times larger than the Oscar's audience. The dynamics of where people view has changed, but the promotional resonance remains the key differentiator.

Now that we’ve established the scale of the Gaming Industry, let’s also take a look at its impact on entertainment. With its enormous growth, video games have transitioned their way into other entertainment formats including movies and television, such as Sonic and Mario on the big screen. Recently television is having a good run with the game adaptation of The Last of Us on HBO which has been critically acclaimed by critics as well as viewers and gamers. Soon, we’ll be witness to Fallout’s television rendition on Prime. It's trailer is amazing. Consequently, I'd bet gaming’s influence is set to expand, and the incorporation of AI into gameplay is likely to further diminish film and television audiences. With AI, the capacity to deliver immersive experiences and create entire worlds for the player far exceeds what can be achieved on the big screen.

AI-driven characters and environments adapt dynamically to player actions, offering a gaming experience that is constantly evolving and deeply personal. I'm looking forward to the day when I can have my very own Star Trek Holodeck, where I can walk in new worlds and interact with characters through sight, sound, and touch. Yet, even in this digital playground, we are confronted with the dilemma of innovation versus tradition. As game design becomes more automated, what becomes of the aspiring game designers, artists, coders, and storytellers who dream of creating the next big title?

The Unintended Consequences: A Glimpse into the Future

Let's pause and ponder the road we're on. The integration of AI in film, video, and gaming entertainment, while exciting, hints at a future where the industry's very foundation is altered. The replacement of junior-level developers, artists, and voice actors with AI doesn't merely affect jobs; it reshapes the ecosystem of talent development. Looking a decade ahead, the scarcity of human professionals in these roles could lead to the cost of genuine, human-created content skyrocketing, making it a luxury rather than the norm. AI-generated materials are likely to be uniform across all titles and less compelling to engage with. In early gaming clones games were persistent. Pac-man had dozens like Lock 'n' Chase. With cheaper AI development, a good idea will be replicated en masse. Then with games becoming uniform, there's a risk of diminishing appeal. The unique value of humans at the helm at every level lies in the capacity for ideas and inspiration that can pivot in ways AI isn't capable of doing yet, and likely won't be able in the long term either. Why? AI lacks the ability to seize great moments of inspiration from something as simple as seeing something random across the room and acting upon it. We do.

Quality vs. Quantity: The Balancing Act

As we navigate this new era, the question of quality versus quantity emerges. AI's ability to churn out content at unprecedented speeds is undeniably impressive. Yet, we’ll need to be careful not to risk drowning in a sea of homogenized, AI-generated narratives, losing the touch of human uniqueness that gives stories their soul. The depersonalization of content, a subtle yet pervasive shift, threatens to dilute the diversity and depth of storytelling that has always been the hallmark of great entertainment.

The Path Forward: A Synergy of Man and Machine

The future of entertainment, brimming with AI's potential, calls for a balanced approach. Embracing AI for its ability to enhance and amplify the realms of filmmaking, gaming, and music is not just prudent; it's inevitable. I believe James Cameron’s view is correct. However, safeguarding the roles, rights, and creative voices of the humans behind the art is paramount for us to do today and we’re not, at least not yet. The challenge lies in leveraging AI as a tool that amplifies creativity rather than one that replaces it. As we stand on this precipice, peering into the future, let's not lose sight of the essence of storytelling — the human connection.

SOCIAL BENEFIT RATING

• Social Benefit Score: 5 (Very High)
• Risk Score: 5 (Very High)

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