Filmmakers, actors, and creators are grappling with artificial intelligence tools that promise efficiency but spark ethical concerns over job losses and artistic integrity. Interviews with nine industry figures reveal a spectrum of responses, from outright rejection to cautious adoption. Backlash, including threats against AI users, highlights the tension in Hollywood.
The rise of AI-generated video has divided the creative community. In 2016, acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki expressed disgust at an early AI demo, deeming it an "insult to life itself" and vowing never to use such technology. This sentiment echoed in October 2024 when director PJ Accetturo's AI-created trailer for a live-action Princess Mononoke amassed 22 million views on X but drew severe backlash, including calls like "Go generate a bridge and jump off it" and suggestions that Miyazaki should hunt the creator.
Actors have led resistance efforts. The SAG-AFTRA union's 2023 strike secured protections against AI replicas of performers. Member Erik Passoja testified in California for bills combating deepfake pornography, while the union backed SB 1047 for AI safety. In September 2024, reports of agencies eyeing "AI actress" Tilly Norwood provoked outrage; Emily Blunt called it "really, really scary," and Natasha Lyonne urged guild boycotts. SAG-AFTRA stated that such AI characters, trained without permission on real performers' work, lack emotion and threaten livelihoods by devaluing human artistry.
Key concerns include content theft from uncompensated internet data, potential job displacement akin to digital cameras' impact on film processing, and inferior artistic quality lacking human connection, as vertical drama actress Tess Dinerstein noted: AI misses the emotional pull of seeing an actor discuss personal loss.
Yet some embrace AI for productivity. Director Kavan Cardoza, after viral AI fan films like a 2024 Batman project, founded Phantom X studio and released the short Echo Hunter in June, blending AI with real actors' motion-capture under SAG-AFTRA guidelines. He views AI as empowering underrepresented creators, comparing it to visual effects' evolution, though he predicts it will eventually automate most roles: "It's never about if, it's just when." Accetturo, post-15 years in commercials, now produces AI ads for clients like Oracle and Popeyes, advocating ethically trained models on licensed data.
Independent director Gille Klabin uses Adobe's royalty-paid tools for tasks like pitch decks but finds AI rotoscoping too inconsistent for finals. Talent agent Ryan Hayden observes clandestine adoption among editors to avoid obsolescence, while storyboard artist Vinny Dellay urges adaptation: "Adapt like cockroaches after a nuclear war." YouTuber Stephen Robles employs AI for audio tasks but prioritizes authenticity, and thumbnail artist Antioch Hwang sees booming demand from AI-lowered entry barriers, though he anticipates disruption in three years.
Predictions vary: Passoja foresees major studios vanishing in three to five years, Dinerstein doubts full AI takeover in vertical content, and Klabin believes superior human work will endure due to its conscious depth. Accetturo likens AI to a tsunami, offering "surfboards" via his newsletter to help others adapt.