If the next film that was released was completely written and created by computer software with nothing more than a few details inputted, would that be a rip-off or something to look forward to seeing? The head of Sony Pictures, Tom Rothman, addressed that issue in light of what’s going on in the filmmaking industry.
For those who love hands-free assistance and convenience, AI is a welcomed partner who can’t be brought along to serve the world fast enough. As far as the writing community is concerned, the nightmare has already begun. AI tools have been on the market, and if anyone types in only a few words on the subject into one of the programs, it will spit out its own thoughts on the matter. “Humans are very rarely necessary to help AI write a screenplay.” That is an actual sentence generated from a free AI tool.
The fact that the writers’ strike is still ongoing is making top executives think they might have a workaround because software doesn’t strike and it’s happy with the work conditions. It’s a good thing there are people like Tom Rothman in one of those high seats who don’t feel the same way. In an exclusive interview with IndieWire, the Sony Pictures CEO addressed concerns about having AI write screenplays, putting millions of writers out of their jobs.
“A lot of the panic about this is overwrought. I don’t believe that AI can replace creative genius.”
It is a serious matter, though. So much so that the WGA is actually trying to stipulate in the new agreements that if a writer is asked to rewrite AI material, the studio has to give the writer the credit. That implies that AI is already a part of the writing process, and Rothman knows how serious it can get when he talked about working on Robopocalypse with Steven Spielberg, a film about a robot who gets out of control because of its own intelligence. Years ago, Spielberg eventually squelched the project indefinitely.
“I believe AI is scary. Trust me, bad [things] can happen. You seriously think a computer can’t figure out the nuclear codes?”
Even though Rothman has strongly confirmed that he is not looking to have AI replace writers at Sony Pictures, that doesn’t mean it isn’t being tried elsewhere. It has already been brought in as part of the creative process when Pixar used the technology to make Elemental. Wait until a film comes out that has absolutely no human involvement in it whatsoever.
