AI is Here - Film and TV are Changing

AI is changing everything, faster than we realise.

Toys R Us released a commercial. Made, it seems, entirely from AI. No actors, no film crew. Made by someone typing prompts into a computer.

Yes, the video sucks. It evokes no joy or intrigue in the viewer (apart from the curiosity of seeing something made by AI).

But the point isn't just if it's artistically good or not, if we respond emotionally or not. The point is that this is putting a lot of people out of work.

The trailer for the Robert Zemeckis film 'Here' is out. And Tom Hanks is suddenly young again.

I don't know if this is AI or CGI or a mixture of both, both something just doesn't *feel* right. Especially, for some reason, looking at the young version of Robin Wright. Is it just me or does she not look like a real person in this trailer?

The de-aging didn't work in 'The Irishman' and it doesn't work here. It's creepy!

Who am I to criticise Robert Zemeckis? His use of visual effects in 'Forrest Gump' was legendary. He's a pioneer with new technology. But the AI used to make Hanks and Wright young again — does it work? Do we like it?

This coming at an unprecedented time of unemployment for my creative friends. Actors are being replaced by computers. Cinematographers losing gigs because their skills of using real cameras and real light are barely needed anymore.

Might sound like I'm exaggerating but the creative industries are changing daily. Where will we be in five years?