Artificial intelligence has in a short time become the supposed solution to all of humanity’s problems, especially in industries such as media, leisure and entertainment. However, there are also experts and individuals who see it as the main threat to continuing to understand the economy, society and culture as they have been understood until now.
Be that as it may, the general assessment of this innovation is highly positive. This is the case even if there is a risk that the enthusiasm in the reception of this technology reveals an uncritical and snobbish attitude. Right now, there are not a lot of rigorous studies that allow us to go from the intuition and squeamishness of social gatherings or colloquia to the cold and grounded analysis of science.
One of the few exceptions in this regard refers to the use of artificial intelligence by audiovisual producers. And the conclusion of those responsible for the survey from which these ideas are drawn is as conclusive as it is disconcerting. The result of the consultation shows that the public of the main world power, the United States, does not like to see films or television programs generated by artificial intelligence, especially if the films appear characters that are not they are flesh and blood.
In the research, carried out by the technicians of Yahoo Entertainment and YouGov, it is specified that six out of ten people interviewed for this purpose think that it is “a bad idea” to include digital replicas of actors. This point of view can be applied both to productions on the big screen and to series and spaces of conventional channels or streaming platforms.
Those who took part in this survey were also asked if it would be convenient for Hollywood corporations to allow work with scripts generated by automatic systems, and 63% expressed themselves against this concept and in favor of human authors. This initiative was carried out during a strike called by the Screen Actors Guild, a union in the United States that represents more than 100,000 actors, principal and secondary, in film and television around the world; and by the Writers Guild of America, guild of audiovisual writers.
The protest was organized precisely because both groups feel in danger because of artificial intelligence. The performers fear that they will end up being replaced by deepfakes, a term often translated as ‘ultrafakes’ and which refers to the editing of videos with digitally recreated individuals who do not exist as seen on the screen.
Among many other examples, this was the method used in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story to show the face of the original Princess Leia, once played by Carrie Fisher, on the body of another actress , in this case, Ingvild Deila. The same formula was followed in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny to return Harrison Ford to his youth, a measure described as “poison” by the president of the actors’ union, Fran Descher.
