Friend or foe? What AI will do to the film industry
A visitor is watching a MOSS AI tool in the film Wandering Earth Ⅱ, one of the bestselling China Sci-Fi movies.
Artificial Intelligence is reshaping the entire film industry with "disruptive influences": it improves work efficiency and brings opportunities for the Chinese film industry, but also results in job loss, speakers said on Monday, during the ongoing Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF).
The generative AI, including ChatGPT and related tools, will reshape processes of creation, special effects IP operation and cinema management, Shanghai Daily learned.
Sci-Fi fiction writer, director, cinema operator, tech providers and researchers shared visions of the entertainment industry under the wave of AIGC.
Director Guo Fan and other speakers attended a SIFF Forum on AIGC wave.
Guo Fan, director of the blockbusters Wandering Earth I and Ⅱ, is shocked by the development of AIGC, or artificial intelligence generative content. ChatGPT-like AI features mastered by MOSS robots in Guo's films have become a reality now. Guo admitted he never expected those technologies to become a reality before 2025.
On the other hand, AI brings high efficiency and new tools for film production, and may bring Chinese filmmakers opportunities to catch up with Hollywood, Guo said.
He will start an "AI rediscovering" journey, including visits to special effect and AI studios worldwide, before starting the filming of Wandering Earth III.
Concept vision design used to take two weeks, but now it may take only two days with AIGC, which generates 20 acceptable images. This scenario actually greatly improves the efficiency of creation and opens up imagination to improve workflow, said Wang Yixu, founder and CEO of Stella. It operates film IPs including the Love Between Fairy and Devil, a popular drama on streaming sites.
Shanghai Film Co's General Manager Dai Yun shared his vision on AI applications for cinema management and IP operation, which creates a greater value with AI-powered data analysis.
The AI-powered application of virtual shooting technology, based on new generation image engines and cinema-grade LED screen display, will also boost production of movies, said Zhang Wei, President of the China Research Institute of Film Science & Technology.
SenseTime showcased AI models which can be widely used in creation and production for text, image, video and digital avatars. It can be adopted in film production with "digital actors," and also in e-commerce, culture, game and tourism industries.
AI tools, however, may bring challenges to the industry and professionals.
With AI tools, the crew number of the Wandering Earth III will be cut by at least half, meaning many people will lose jobs, said director Guo.
The good news is that AIGC, as the latest technological revolution, is easily accessible for regular people, without a tech-savy background.
The "codes" will be replaced by "prompts" in the future. Most people can complete creation and special effects by themselves with new applications and AI models, speakers said.
Film industry staff should speed up training and learning on AI applications to embrace the AIGC wave, experts said.
