The emergence of artificial intelligence in filmmaking is poised to bring significant changes to the creative industries – but is this a genuine revolution, or merely another technological tool enjoying a momentary spotlight? This was the subject of a recent conversation between Áron Kovács-Nagy and Levente Szabados, lecturer at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and senior advisor at Neuron Solutions.
A Revolutionary Shift or Simply Technical Support?
Artificial intelligence can be considered revolutionary in the sense that, until now, the possibilities for visual expression have largely depended on how well someone was trained in the world of film. Without the right visual sensibility or professional background – particularly in cinematography – one simply had no chance of producing content of a quality that could compete in the market.
Today, however, a good idea and a basic sense of visual style may be enough for someone to create acceptable – or even outstanding – video content, at low cost and with minimal professional assistance. AI has placed a powerful tool in the hands of creatives, effectively democratizing the process of filmmaking.
That said, it’s unlikely that everyone will become a master-level director. More realistically, we can expect a clear split between mass-produced visual content and the realm of professional artistic filmmaking. Experienced film professionals will also adopt these tools, but they’ll distinguish themselves by leveraging their judgment and expertise to achieve a level of quality far beyond what the average user can reach.
Ethical and Legal Dilemmas
Every AI system is trained on data – and this holds true for filmmaking as well. These systems learn from existing films, images, and visual works, meaning they are fundamentally built on the intellectual property of others. This raises important legal and ethical questions.
Is it justifiable to use someone’s intellectual work without their knowledge or consent? What kind of royalties – if any – should be owed to creators whose work, even indirectly, contributes to the performance of an AI system? While such contributions are often minimal on an individual level, they collectively present serious challenges in the context of copyright and artistic integrity.
Click here to listen to the full discussion.
