AI & THE CRAFT
THE PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE OF FILMMAKING
Welcome to the first iteration of our regular AI series, where we discuss the latest tools and tech , observe changing regulations and find our way forward in a rapidly evolving creative landscape
refrigerators and more. We have robots on Mars that can report back to us. All these devices are intelligent in a way but, if we’re being honest, they haven’t really learnt anything the way a human would – they’re just really good at maths. Despite the innumerable positives that technological advancement brings, we have always feared any intelligence that isn’t our own. Films about AI broadly include 2001: A Space Odyssey , Blade Runner , Her , Ex Machina and, more recently, M3GAN . All share a warning message: don’t trust this technology! Generative AI is another beast altogether. These days we seem to forget to draw the distinction between simple AI-based operations (predicting our next words in an email) and AI-generated content, which is inherently unoriginal – a regurgitation of whatever it’s previously ingested. But, whether we like it or not, we all exist in what is known as the AI boom, and tools that were once reserved for the few are now available to the many.
WORDS KATIE KASPERSON
I: THE PAST When we talk about artificial intelligence, what are we actually talking about? AI has long been a hot topic; since ancient times, scientists and philosophers have studied the mind and sought to define it. The advent of the computer marked a milestone in these efforts, especially when they became capable of performing certain rote tasks. But it wasn’t long before tech companies were harnessing this intelligence; we now have smart phones, watches, televisions,
IN EACH CASE, AI WAS EMPLOYED TO enhance actors’ performances ”
OUTSMARTED Alex Garland’s Ex Machina asks ‘what if androids craved freedom?’
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