We’ve all seen “Terminator.” We know robots are going to be the end of humanity. And it’s all starting because of the artificial intelligence (A.I.) that you use to make silly pictures online. It’s just the reality of the situation. But apparently filmmaker Abel Ferrara isn’t so concerned by this.
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Kidding aside, A.I. is on the minds of many people in Hollywood, as people begin to use generative A.I. to make scripts, images, and even video that could potentially be used in filmmaking. No, that doesn’t mean that Skynet is around the corner. But it does pose an existential threat to many people who see their jobs being wiped out. Speaking at the Taormina Film Festival (via Deadline), Abel Ferrara talked about his recent use of A.I. and why he’s not so scared of the future of the technology.
According to the filmmaker, A.I. tech was used to help him dub his most recent feature, “Padre Pio,” into Italian. Without the tech, he wouldn’t have had the money to make it happen. And now, the Italian actors who worked on the film will be able to watch the film in their native language. He sees that as a net positive. He sees A.I. as a type of progress in the industry.
“It’s progress… It’s like anything else, why are you gonna assume it’s going to be used to destroy you? What kind of paranoid attitude is that?” said Ferrara. “It’s like the internet — if you use it in a positive way, it’s awesome. You’re gambling all night watching pornography, it’s a disaster.”
He added, “I don’t know, maybe it’s the end of the world, but I ain’t that kind of guy, I gotta see it to believe it.”
It’s a bit refreshing to hear someone not so doom and gloom about the future of A.I. in Hollywood. A lot of folks, especially during last year’s SAG and DGA strikes, have been incredibly concerned about what might happen if studios begin to use the technology for evil. But for Ferrara, he sees the good that can be done using it.
Obviously, things can change, and Ferrara admits it himself that he’s not an expert on artificial intelligence, so there’s still a lot of waiting around to see what might happen. But if filmmakers use it as a tool, it might not always be so bad, right?