As a seasoned actor and director who has spent decades immersed in the intricacies of storytelling, I wholeheartedly echo Ben Affleck’s sentiments about AI’s limitations in the realm of movie-making. Having navigated through countless scripts, sets, and performances, I can attest that there’s an indescribable human element to our art form that cannot be replicated by any machine.
At the 2024 CNBC Delivering Alpha investor summit, when asked about AI in filmmaking, Ben Affleck expressed a frank opinion suggesting that it would take a considerable amount of time before a machine could capture the essence of human storytelling, given the heavy reliance of movies on human emotions and creativity. (Source: Variety)
The topic of artificial intelligence (AI) application in films, television series, and the broader world is a constant subject of debate that generates numerous viewpoints. For Affleck, AI presents several facets that make it accessible for individuals without the financial backing of studios. However, he perceives it more as an imitator rather than an original creator. In his words:
AI can generate verses that mimic Elizabethan style, but it cannot produce work equal to Shakespeare’s. As for collaborative storytelling involving multiple actors, such as deciding when two, three, or four actors should perform and how they should interact, this is beyond AI’s capacity at the moment and may remain so for a significant time.
AI technology aims to streamline and automate some of the more laborious, less creative, and costly parts of filmmaking. This could potentially reduce costs, lower the entry barrier, empower a greater number of voices, and make it easier for aspiring filmmakers to create productions similar to ‘Good Will Hunting’.
Ben Affleck Says AI Cannot Learn When to Stop
Despite the genuine apprehension about jobs being taken over by AI in filmmaking, Affleck remains skeptical that it will significantly displace traditional filmmaking in the near future. He further elaborated on this topic by saying:
Artificial Intelligence functions more like an apprentice rather than a creator. An apprentice learns to produce Stickley Furniture by observing and imitating a master craftsman. Similarly, large video models and language models operate in the same fashion. They absorb and mimic existing information, but do not invent anything new.
A craftsperson understands the skill of creating; an artist recognizes the moment to cease. I believe that learning when to cease will be quite challenging for AI, as it involves judgment, which is akin to taste, and is characterized by inconsistency, absence of uniformity, and lack of quality control.
Affleck employed the HBO show “Succession” as an example to highlight the limitations of AI, explaining that AI’s capabilities are confined to reorganizing information it has been presented with, rather than creating something entirely new or original on its own. In conclusion, he stated:
AI technology enables you to request a custom episode of ‘Succession’, such as one where Kendall takes over the company, runs away with Stewy, and has an affair. You could ask for this scenario by saying something like, ‘I’ll pay you $30, can you create a 45-minute episode for me?’ Although it might be rough around the edges and strange, the AI will understand the characters’ personalities, the show’s tone, and will recombine elements effectively. This is the long-term value of such technology.
Even as Hollywood grapples with finding a balance between incorporating AI into its operations without perceived job displacement of veteran technicians, designers, and writers, Affleck firmly believes that there will always be a niche for human involvement in the film industry, at least for the near term.
Read More
Sorry. No data so far.
2024-11-19 03:02