A couple years ago, I stated that Hollywood was cooked. It was at the time of the writers and actors strikes. Some thought that a new contract was going to make everything okay.
Since that time, even though the unions reached a settlement, the industry was in freefall. Actually, that is a bit misleading since Hollywood was the one dropping like a stone. Production in other areas actually increased.
The large part of my thesis was simply that what most focused upon was noise. Technology was gunning for many of the jobs, something that is now appearing.
When I made my statements, generative AI within the video realm was rather poor. However, it was only a matter of time before that changed.
AI Taking Over Hollywood: Netflix First In TV Show
The recent events are highlighted by Netflix decision to use AI in a television show called "The Eternaut".
- Streaming giant Netflix has revealed that it used generative AI for a VFX sequence in its show "The Eternaut."
- Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos called generative AI "an incredible opportunity to make films and series better, not just cheaper."
- There is widespread concern among film industry professionals over the threat posed by AI to their jobs.
The latter is something we have warned about for a couple years. It was only a matter of time before white collar jobs started to feel the pinch.
Simply put, generative AI will be widespread because it is faster and cheaper. Creators are able to do things they normally would not. When production costs are often tied to the time it takes for a movie to rollout, anything that accelerates the process is helpful.
The creators of "The Eternaut" wanted to include a scene where a building collapses in Buenos Aires, and Sarandos said AI meant "they were able to achieve an amazing result with remarkable speed."
"In fact, that VFX sequence was completed 10 times faster than it could have been completed with traditional VFX tools and workflows," he told analysts.
Anything that provides a 10x increase in productivity is bound to be adopted.
Just The Beginning
This is just the beginning.
Generative AI is going to run through many industries. That said, when it comes to movie and television production, it will spread like wildfire. There is no reason why companies will not dive into this.
The challenge for the industry is we are seeing the breakdown of the movie and television studios. This technology is going to be available to most, meaning smaller players can close the gap. Financial leverage that once served as a moat is no longer in play (at least to the same degree).
For now we are look at an assistant. However, it is logical to believe this will expand. My forecast is that, before the end of the decade, we are going to have an "AI star". This will be an actor or actresses who does not exist. The individual will be completely AI generated, with an entire business model built around him or her.
It will be no different than any A-list Hollywood actor except that the person does not exist.
In the future, will it make sense to pay a leading star $20+ million when that "person" can be intellectual property?