Hollywood is terrified of AI and how it is about to steal their jobs

Fun

From Kimani Krienke

July 6, 2023 | 4:16 pm

While Hollywood anxiously awaits the outcome of the writers’ strike, entertainment insiders now have something else to worry about as AI takes the job.

In an exclusive poll published today in Variety, Tinseltown’s rank-and-file have revealed deep concern about the various ways that generative artificial intelligence, or AI, will affect their role, society, industry and the broader cultural environment .

And while only 36% of respondents were very or somewhat concerned about Generative AI impacting their personal job security in the next two to three years, more global concerns appear to have the majority gritting their teeth in concern. .

A majority of 48% were concerned about using generative AI for intellectual property infringement, with 43% quite concerned about the job losses this could cause. The same number, 43%, believe AI will significantly hurt quality and creativity.

For context, US entertainment workers who were surveyed in late June have high awareness of generative AI: 87% were aware of tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney, and 65% said they knew part of the technology.

The rise of generative AI has increased as contracts and union negotiations decline.

The WGA, DGA, and SAG-AFTRA are respectively calling for new contract language that provides clarity, protection, and restrictions on the use of generative AI regarding terms of work with writers, directors, and actors, Variety noted in its report.

While Generative AI is still in its infancy, respondents were asked to select all that apply from a list of creative pursuits they might be able to perform in the next two to three years. The top responder was creating realistic sound effects for movies, TV or games, with 58%. In theory, AI is currently capable of this task.

The least lightly task for machines to take on? Writing, according to respondents only 29% of them thought that AI had a chance to make a decent script for film or television.

Some survey participants said they anticipate ways that Generative AI could help them do their job better, for example, by automating time-consuming or manual VFX tasks to be able to deliver high-quality work faster.

For others, the future is already here: 13% admitted that they, their team or their company are currently using generative AI tools, with 17% revealing they plan to implement them soon.

But the majority confessed that they have no such ambitions, with 51% saying they, their teams or their company are not currently using generative AI and have no plans to.