When someone mentions the future, realistically, most people’s minds jump straight to AI. Artificial intelligence has already impacted our world an insane amount. From using AI to complete simple tasks like organizing notes or finding study methods, to the risk that AI could possibly replace someone’s dream job. Now, AI is impacting music, modeling, and even the film industry.
For years, CGI has been used casually in many films, whether that is films made completely of CGI, like Toy Story, or movies that simply use CGI for added special effects. Starting in 1958, with the film Vertigo, computer-generated images have been used often in movies. While CGI has come a long way since 1958, people fear that AI may be the next evolution of CGI in filmmaking. Already, AI has been used in many movies to de-age actors or swap the faces of stunt doubles and actors. These films include The Irishman (2019), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023), Here (2024), etc. AI was also used in Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) to fully generate the baby version of Thor.
So far, artificial intelligence has already been used in a variety of ways in many movies and will only continue to evolve from here. AI has the potential to take away actors’ and actresses’ jobs as well as the potential to replace CGI. We have seen how quickly CGI showed up in movies, and AI could do just that. However, many people in the film industry are against this. Emily Blunt, an actress starring in The Fall Guy, a movie that AI was also used to enhance, stated, “This is really scary. Come on, agencies, don’t do that,” when asked about AI in cinema. Along with Emily Blunt, many others in the industry have shared similar opinions about the use of AI in movies. Other celebrities who have voiced their opinions on AI include Tom Hanks, Scarlet Johansson, and Simon Pegg.
In addition to concerns about job loss, people have also questioned AI in filmmaking due to issues with consent, originality, and copyright. AI finds its information from previously existing data, meaning every piece of information it provides to someone is a combination of answers from a variety of sources. Therefore, when using AI in film, copyright becomes a big issue.
Another major concern surrounding AI in the film industry is how it could affect creativity and originality. Filmmaking has always relied on human imagination, emotion, and lived experiences. Directors and actors all bring their own perspectives into the projects they make, which is why films are unique. Many critics worry that if AI is used too much, movies will start to lack emotion and meaning, since AI is based on patterns rather than genuine human experience. While AI could imitate the styles of previous movies, it lacks the ability to understand storytelling in the same way humans can.
The use of AI also causes ethical questions about consent, especially when it comes to actors’ voices and likenesses. AI can be used to recreate an actor’s voice or face, and there is concern that people may use these tools without proper permission. For example, actor Tom Hanks’ AI-generated face was used on a dental ad without his permission. This issue has become an even larger concern recently, leading to many strikes where filmmakers and actors spoke out for stronger protection of their work.
AI is already playing a notable role in the film industry and will only continue to grow in influence. While some say AI has possibilities to better the film industry, many people have concerns relating to jobs, meaning that in the near future, if movies were made completely by AI, then many actors and actresses would lose their jobs. There are also concerns about originality, creativity, and consent. In the near future, AI has the potential to change the film industry completely.