AI in the Entertainment Industry by Reese Youngblood

ereeseyoungblood — 2024-07-31 19:40:34 UTC

I have focused my research on AI in the entertainment industry. I lived in Los Angeles last summer during the writer’s strike in Hollywood, and I grew curious about the movement and why it generated such passion. As an avid consumer of TV, movies and other media, I feel implicated in the conversation about how it is changing and wanted to know more about what to expect from its technology-driven future. I have a deep appreciation for the way that media portrays and resonates with the human condition. Storytelling is a primary means of expressing originality and creativity, and I think that our stories will be vulnerable if AI plays a more prominent role in telling them. Some of the most powerful narratives are the ones that have relatable flaws and embody the nuances of our collective experience. With the introduction of AI into many different sectors of the entertainment industry, it’s unclear how the human touch will show up in future projects, whether it can sustain itself, and whether we care to make it last. On this Padlet, I will first cover three different applications for AI in the industry, including content recommendation services, AI-assisted film and video production, and AI-facilitated entertainment marketing and distribution. I will then provide an overview of future trends and ethical considerations with the integration of AI into entertainment. Lastly, I will go over what the societal impact will be as a result of AI’s convergence with the ways that entertainment is made and consumed.

1. Entertainment - AI Recommendation Engines

ereeseyoungblood — 2024-07-31 19:43:39 UTC

Streaming platforms such as Netflix have adapted AI into their algorithm, allowing for viewers to enjoy personalized content based on their interests. Machine Learning technology is responsible for these recommendations, as it’s designed to mimic human thought processes, including determining what to watch. Viewers have found that these personalization engines help them feel less overwhelmed by entertainment possibilities, but have critiqued that the content “recommended for them” is often non-specific and repetitive, existing on only one media service. Recently, viewers have had more success with other chat-based AI programs, which allow for precisely-honed recommendations based on particular criteria. Personally, I find these recommendation engines to be the least threatening development of AI within the entertainment industry.

ereeseyoungblood — 2024-07-31 19:55:08 UTC

2. Entertainment - AI in Filmmaking and Video Production

ereeseyoungblood — 2024-07-31 19:56:36 UTC

Both generative and machine learning algorithms have been implemented into filmmaking and production processes. From script development to envisioning how a scene might look from a particular camera angle, AI is becoming an active collaborator in the industry. Several programs for production and editing have AI built into their interfaces, which greatly reduces the amount of time spent on manual tasks such as motion tracking and visual effects. The biggest challenge that comes out of the integration of AI with video production is whether it can support human creativity or if by making things more efficient, we lose the essence of why films are made. In my opinion, AI’s participation in film and video production poses a significant humanitarian risk.

ereeseyoungblood — 2024-07-31 19:57:55 UTC

3. Entertainment - AI in Marketing and Distribution

ereeseyoungblood — 2024-07-31 20:01:04 UTC

AI can play a part in marketing and distributing a film after it’s been made, so that it can reach audiences at a time where it will experience the biggest response. Using natural language processing, it can help select a film’s distribution channel, improve the effectiveness of the advertising, and predict consumer demand with incredible foresight. I imagine that a potential challenge for these predictive technologies is that they rely too heavily on precedent, missing out on the ways that cultural shifts are taking place around us all the time. The AI used in film distribution pulls information from the past as opposed to engaging with active cultural conditions. Overall, I do not find that using AI to help analyze certain conditions around the release of a film to be a harmful practice.

ereeseyoungblood — 2024-07-31 20:05:15 UTC

ereeseyoungblood — 2024-07-31 20:16:53 UTC

AI is expected to revolutionize the film and entertainment industry in a variety of ways, including scriptwriting, casting, production design, storyboarding, editing, marketing, as well as introducing new modes of entertainment through immersive game design and virtual reality. As its involvement grows, so will tensions between technology and human creativity, reconfiguring the way we associate ourselves with the content we consume. When we think about conceptualizing a film or a piece of media, it is paramount that we consider how it speaks to the human condition. While AI can be leveraged to expedite process-related time and costs, it should also be used with caution, so as not to overpower our own creative faculties. In 2019, filmmaking software Adobe Sensei created an original short film modeled after previous winners at the Sundance Film Festival. Earlier, in 2016, IBM Watson used AI to craft a movie trailer by analyzing the film’s key moments, proposing a soundtrack and making edits. Instances like these fueled writers and actors in Hollywood to protest AI’s breach into filmmaking. Concerns over intellectual property rights and privacy issues came to the forefront of the movement, and remain important as AI situates itself within the industry. Another way that AI has incited controversy is in its generation of deepfakes, which use technology to simulate an actor or celebrity and insert their likeness into an image or video. The rise of deepfakes have left actors unsettled by the idea that content could be created without their consent and without means of compensation.

ereeseyoungblood — 2024-07-31 20:17:29 UTC

AI in the filmmaking industry has raised a series of issues as far as unemployment, privacy and equity. Media and entertainment companies are heavily reliant on AI’s data-collection to generate content recommendations, to target advertising, and to develop new products and services. As subscribers to entertainment sites, we often consent to the release of our personal data and lose a sense of privacy. Another significant challenge expected for the industry is how AI might affect job security and roles. From script writing to color-grading, AI is starting to become involved with many production tasks that are traditionally carried out by human professionals. As AI technologies acquire more skill and experience, they pose a real threat to employment in the industry. In addition to jobs being lost, there may be a restructuring of jobs, and specifically what’s required of people who perform them. Directors and screenwriters, for instance, may be required to take a step back in order to leave room for AI’s input. Even actors are not safe from the onset of an AI-driven future. A massive strike was initiated in response to the inclusion of deepfakes in advertisements and media campaigns. Agreements were eventually made so that studios will need an actor's consent before digitally emulating them, and actors will be paid when a digital replica replaces them. While the strike is no longer active, I expect more controversy to surround AI’s settlement into the industry, especially where it exploits the work of dedicated actors and tunes out distinctly human voices – writers, editors, and directors.

ereeseyoungblood — 2024-07-31 20:18:01 UTC

I found it very intuitive to research and understand the topic of AI in the entertainment industry. I struggled to process, however, that some of the sources came from a perspective of promoting AI and others were firmly against it. Living in LA last summer during the writers’ strike, I’ve had previous exposure to the seriousness of addressing AI’s influence in media and filmmaking. As I was going about the research process, I picked up on a running theme of AI and the diminishment of the human touch. Being an artist, I am especially sensitive to advancements in technology and how they are adapting to creative roles. This research helped me to think through the relative threat levels that AI poses on the entertainment industry, and consider those within the context of my own career aspirations.

ereeseyoungblood — 2024-08-01 00:48:17 UTC

Dhillon, S. (2023, November 30). HOW AI WILL AUGMENT HUMAN CREATIVITY IN FILM PRODUCTION. Variety. [Rationale: This article provides a thorough overview of current AI developments in the film industry, with attention to its effects on human creativity.)

Khanna, A. (2024, February 22). From script to distribution: AI's role in the Film World. Forbes. [Rationale: This article details the impacts of AI from script to post-production within filmmaking, addressing both its advantages and disadvantages.]

Todd, E., Gates, T., & Cobb, S. (2023). Data Protection and Privacy: Entertainment and media guide to AI: Perspectives. Reed Smith. [Rationale: This article outlines the ways in which personal data is processed by AI, which is key to understanding its ethical impact.]

Davenport, T. H., & Bean, R. (2023, June 19). The Impact of Generative AI on Hollywood and Entertainment. MIT Sloan Management Review. [Rationale: This article consults two different professional perspectives, which helps to distinguish how AI is both helping and hurting the industry.]

Luna, A., & Draper, D. (2023, December 6). Hollywood Strikes Back Against Generative AI Disruption. Bipartisan Policy Center. [Rationale: This article uses a political lens to reason through the Hollywood strike's demands for the future of generative AI.]

Part 1

ereeseyoungblood — 2024-08-03 16:17:30 UTC

Part 2

ereeseyoungblood — 2024-08-03 17:07:53 UTC

Part 3

ereeseyoungblood — 2024-08-03 17:33:35 UTC