While James Cameron has previously suggested that advances in artificial intelligence tools could benefit the VFX industry to speed up studio assignments and lower costs of productions like his “Avatar” sequels without directly jeopardizing jobs, he’s now calling out the potential use of “generative AI,” with replacing actors being a major concern, and why he’s opposed to the idea.
CBS Sunday Morning recently spoke with Cameron about his opinions on generative AI concerning actors, where he stated, “For years, there was this sense that, ‘Oh, they’re doing something strange with computers and they’re replacing actors,’ when in fact, once you really drill down and you see what we’re doing, it’s a celebration of the actor-director moment,” Cameron said. “Now, go to the other end of the spectrum, and you’ve got generative AI, where they can make up a character. They can make up an actor. They can make up a performance from scratch with a text prompt. It’s like, no. That’s horrifying to me. That’s the opposite. That’s exactly what we’re not doing.”
Many understand that Cameron has been at the forefront of VFX-focused filmmaking since he’s days working for the late Roger Corman on projects like his “Alien” knockoff, “Galaxy of Terror,” and John Carpenter‘s “Escape From New York.” Eventually moving on to his own cutting-edge projects that pushed the limitations of modern filmmaking of the time to bring ambitious and technical marvels to the big screen (sometimes on limited budgets and using brand new techniques/technology), so when he talks about the dangers of generative A.I. within the industry, many should heed his advice.
His “Avatar” films, despite being massive undertakings of digital visual effects, still make major use of human actors, whether they’re doing motion capture on a sound stage in California or doing live-action sequences in Wellington, New Zealand, on elaborate practical sets.
Generative AI has been the most worrisome of the potential uses of this technology in the industry, as studios have telegraphed their openness to the use of it for screenwriting, VFX, and replacing background/extra actors after digital scans (a way to reduce their use of human employees and scare unions during recent strikes). Again, it is worth mentioning that U.S. copyright law has established that generative content can’t be copyrighted, and makes it less likely that studios are going to be rushing toward that full-fledged use if they can’t claim rights to that material (the more human involvement, the stronger the copyright becomes).
“Avatar: Fire & Ash,” the third installment of James Cameron’s epic Pandora saga, will be unleashed in theaters later this month. We’ll have to wait and see if he’ll end up completing those next two installments on his own or outsourcing a new director to take the reins or not.
- Christopher Marc
- Christopher Marc
- Christopher Marc
- Christopher Marc
- Christopher Marc
- Christopher Marc
- Christopher Marc
