It’s hard not to feel the ripple effect when big shifts happen. One such change came on Wednesday when Lionsgate – the studio responsible for it John Wick, The Hunger Games, again It’s dusk franchises – has announced that it has teamed up with artificial intelligence firm Runway in a “first-of-its-kind partnership” that will give the AI firm access to the studio’s archives to create a custom AI tool for pre-production and post-production on its film. and TV shows.
Runway’s upcoming tool will “help Lionsgate Studios, filmmakers, directors, and other creative talent grow their work” and “produce cinematic video that can be remastered using Runway’s suite of controllable tools,” according to a press release announcing the deal.
If that sounds like it might pique the interest of those who have been watching the influence of AI on creative work, it has. Hours after the Wall Street Journal broke the story, writer-director Justine Bateman, who was a vocal critic of AI during last year’s Hollywood strikes, wrote in X what almost sounded like a warning: “Over a year ago, I told you. that I thought studios DON’T send lawyers to #AI companies to install their models [sic] their films are copyrighted, because they wanted their own custom versions. Well, here you go.”
If anything, the new deal could serve as a test of the AI protections unions like the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) got in their contract talks with studios last year. Under those protections, studios must get actors’ permission before making their digital likeness. Because, according to Lionsgate and Runway, the tool will only be used for pre-production and post-production work, it is within the scope of that agreement, said Matthew Sag, professor of law and AI at Emory University.
“It seems like a big advance, but the movie industry has been using all kinds of technology and automation for years,” Sag said. “So you might see this as a natural evolution. The difference is that we now see many things that we thought of as art and spontaneous art. “
The announcement came a day after California governor Gavin Newsom signed a law that aims to protect actors from copying their work without permission. Set to take effect next year, Newsom’s move comes at a time when video game workers, particularly voice actors and animators, are on strike, in part over AI protections.
“We continue to navigate uncharted territory when it comes to how AI and digital media are changing the entertainment industry,” the California governor said in a statement. “This legislation ensures that the industry can continue to thrive while strengthening protections for workers and how their rights can or cannot be used.”
Even if the work of actors and other actors will not be affected by the new tools, it is hard not to wonder what effect the new AI production tools will have on those working in pre-production and post-production. According to a WSJ report, Lionsgate initially plans to use Runway’s custom tool for things like storyboarding. Eventually, the studio plans to use it to create visual effects for the big screen. According to Sag, “it’s impossible to know for sure which productivity tools will be job creators or destroyers,” but it seems that these tools can have an impact on jobs.
According to Runway CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela, however, it won’t. “Our core belief is that AI, like any powerful tool, can greatly accelerate your development through creative challenges,” Valenzuela said. “This is achieved by helping to solve certain tasks, not by changing all tasks. Artists are always in control of their tools.”
Like Valenzuela, Lionsgate vice chairman Michael Burns sees AI as a boon to filmmaking, which will help the studio “develop opportunities to create more effective content,” he said in a statement, noting that several Lionsgate filmmakers are excited about the film. new tools without mentioning which filmmakers. “We see AI as a great tool to grow, improve and supplement our current operations.” What it will do to their future performance is not yet known.