Steven Spielberg On AI In Filmmaking: "There Is No Substitute For The Soul"
"Use AI as a tool, but do not use AI as the final word on anything creative. That's where I draw the line."
The legendary filmmaker recently appeared on Michelle Obama and her brother Craig Robinson's IMO podcast, where he discussed his childhood, his craft, and his upcoming film Disclosure Day. He also shared his thoughts on AI when asked what "crystal ball" he used to envision his 2001 blockbuster A.I. Artificial Intelligence.
While Spielberg acknowledged that AI's development may prove highly useful in fields like medicine, he made clear that he does not believe it's appropriate for creative work:
"Where I don't love AI is where it takes a position, or there's an empty chair at a writer's table, and there's six writers and an empty chair, and there's a computer in front of the empty chair, and it's the seventh writer.
I'm not willing to substitute, you know, because I don't really believe in its sentience. I don't believe there is any substitute for the soul. I don't think that is an algorithm that's inventible, if there is such a word.
I think a computer that thinks it feels more than we feel is anathema to the way I was raised and how I'll practice my own trade of producing and directing in the future."
Spielberg elaborated on where he personally draws the line for AI use in filmmaking:
"I don't want AI involved in that way. If AI wants to help me find locations, that's great. Saves us all a lot of legwork. But don't tell me that I don't have the right antagonist in this movie. Don't tell me how to write my dialogue for this character. Don't tell me where the camera has got to go. And also don't tell me what the set should look like, unless AI is simply a tool in a large tool chest of the production designer and just one of many tools the production designer uses.
Use AI as a tool, but do not use AI as the final word on anything creative. That's where I draw the line."
AI in Hollywood is still a big point of debate, and Steven Spielberg is one of the few big industry figures who's been cautious about how it should be used.
Meanwhile, Amazon MGM Studios has greenlit three AI-generated animated series, which have sparked significant online backlash. Jorge R. Gutierrez, the creator of The Book of Life, was criticized for his involvement in one of the projects. Loryn Brantz, who created Cuppy from The Good Advice Cupcake series, also condemned the project, calling it an "assault on artists everywhere," especially since her character is featured in one of the AI productions.
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