Sony appears keen to use AI to cut film costs. Even its producers doubt

Sony’s CEO favors AI, but Spider-Man’s producer doesn’t.

Sony was the first to announce that its films will profit from AI, notably economically. From study authors to workers who worry about technology’s indiscriminate usage, everyone involved is on edge, yet Sony has spoken up.

Very focused. Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciquerra says “we are very focused on AI.” The main benefit of its utilization is clear: “Cost is the largest issue with filmmaking nowadays. Our goal is to use AI to produce films for cinemas and TV more efficiently.”

Evoke memories. The Hollywood scriptwriter and actor strikes’ agreements qualify these claims. The scriptwriters and actors signed required generative AI use terms, mostly affecting unauthorised use and work modification. Vinciquerra stated that “the agreements derived from last year’s strikes (…) will broadly define what we can do with AI.”

Not in my Spider-Man. Chris Miller, producer of the excellent Spider-Man and Spider-Man Multiverse animated films, responded immediately to Vinciquerra’s claims. Miller tweeted after Vinciquerra’s comments: “‘Beyond the Spider-Verse’ will never have generative AI. These filmmakers aim to establish fresh visual trends never before seen in an animated picture, not borrow substandard generic material from other artists.” Miller and his colleague Phil Lord have often warned about mindless AI use’s negative impact on creativity.

No danger now. A few days ago, we discussed entertainment companies’ first attempts to replace human labor with AI, such as Korean series dubbing. In the last SXSW talk titled “Visual (R)evolution: How AI is Impacting Creative Industries,” creators like Julien Brami of Zoic Studios stated that “every five years or almost every decade something new appears,” and while they celebrated AI’s improved process execution speed, many stated that “I would never use A.”

Not cheap. Additionally, numerous artists at the recent Lot meeting at Los Angeles Center companies said AI is not the cure companies believe: According to ‘Risky Lies’ showrunner Marr Nix, “not a single time a new technology came out and everyone said, ‘Let’s stop doing new things to save money.'” In a presentation, Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers president Renard Jenkins said that if studios calculated how much it would cost to integrate AI into their infrastructure, they would realize that AI would not replace everyone and everything.

Sony Pictures is using generative AI to minimize costs.

At an investor conference in Japan on Thursday, CEO Tony Vinciquerra said the company is “very focused on AI” and mobilizing to integrate the technology into filmmaking to streamline production.

“We’ll be looking at ways to use AI to produce films for theaters and television more efficiently, using AI primarily,” Vinciquerra said.

The comments occurred during ongoing discussions between Hollywood’s primary crew union and top studios on a new contract, which expires on July 31. Like the actors and writers strikes, AI guardrails are a significant negotiating topic.

Since the work stoppages ended last year, buzzy AI technologies like OpenAI’s text-to-video model Sora have worried Hollywood that they could undermine crewmembers and talent. Union safeguards are the main displacement barrier.

Vinciquerra’s comments suggest studios want to use the technology more and are only limited by union contracts. He stated the accords from last year’s strikes and the IATSE and Teamster discussions will shape AI.

Last year, DreamWorks founder Jeffrey Katzenberg projected that AI would decrease animated movie costs by 90% as it disrupts the media and entertainment industries. He said that a world-class animated feature took 500 artists five years in the “good old days” and that it “won’t take 10 percent of that three years from now.”

In January, 300 entertainment leaders were surveyed and discovered that AI is eliminating Hollywood employment with little hope. The report said three-fourths of respondents said AI tools helped their organizations cut, reduce, or consolidate roles. Voice actors, concept artists, visual effects artists, and other postproduction personnel were vulnerable.

AI tools can streamline VFX, said Fallout, Rebel Moon, and Black Adam cinematographer Kathryn Brillhart. She remarked, “It’s advancing the craft,” at AI on the Lot, a May seminar on studio AI use. “I can teach myself skills faster than ever. I can consider workflows differently.”

Sony Pictures lost plans for a new franchise after Madame Web’s box office failure. The 2022 Sony Spider-Man universe film Morbius was also a critical failure, but it grossed $170 million worldwide.

Sony appears keen to use AI to cut film costs. Even its producers doubt

Sony’s CEO favors AI, but Spider-Man’s producer doesn’t.

By b0oua

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