How AI text-to-video tools like Sora threaten the movie business – a ‘seismic shift’ that could kill countless jobs
- Sora, the latest technology from ChatGPT owner OpenAI, creates detailed videos that are up to a minute long from what users describe in text
- Some welcome the technology, as it lets them test bold ideas without time and money restrictions; others fear how it will disrupt entertainment production
Artificial intelligence is coming to Hollywood – but is Hollywood ready for it?
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is meeting with entertainment industry players, including executives at talent agencies and film studios, to demonstrate and explain its latest technology, Sora, which creates videos based on what users describe in text.
It’s a delicate dance for entertainment companies that want to harness powerful tools that could reduce costs and streamline their processes. At the same time, they want to avoid offending Hollywood actors, writers and legions of behind-the-scenes workers – such as animators and storyboard artists – who fear AI could kill their jobs.
“Nobody wants to be behind the eight ball,” says Daisy Stall, head of entertainment finance at California Bank & Trust. “If it’s going to be at your doorstep, you got to deal with it. It’s still so uncertain and people are just preparing, but they’re not sure the role that it’s actually going to play.”
SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher warned in July that if actors don’t stand their ground now, “we are all going to be in jeopardy of being replaced by machines”.