Alex McCurthy
Hollywood and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) have been and continue to be at the forefront of public debates lately, especially with a lot of filmmakers opposing it. Most of their fears are backed by the fact that AI tools mostly give ‘derivative’ content most of the time and are based on stolen works. James Gunn, co-CEO for DC Studios, is one of the most notable critics of AI in the industry. He condemned the unleashing of a false AI-generate preview to a long-awaited Superman movie.
The trailer, misrepresented as an official teaser and that aired in a news feature on France’s state channel France 2, was part of the latter’s program on Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, but ended unexpectedly with what was described as a preview for James Gunn’s film about Superman. This soon created a buzz online, where many viewers were quick to find out that it was merely a poorly generated AI fake. The online community did not waste time ridiculing the fraudulent trailer, pointing out its flaws.
In return, Gunn himself soon responded to the conversation via social media. Posting a clip of the trailer created by the AI on X (formerly Twitter), Gunn did not have to talk to make a statement. He only put up three vomiting emojis as a reply in a powerful visual statement of how he detested it. That was a very easy manner of speaking out, but it said all there was in words about the frustration he bore regarding the use of AI in such deceptive ways.
In a comment on the subsequent post, the producer of the false trailer made his wish that James Gunn never came across it. In a perfectly witty reply, Gunn tossed back the words, “I wish this as well.” His scathing repartee especially pushed the point further by bringing to the fore of his disdain for the subterfuge and, by association, the blurring between reality and AI of such false portrayals .
James Gunn’s Reluctance to Tolerate AI in Entertainment
Yet, to be sure, this is not the first time that Gunn has publicly had a word to say about his potential use of AI in creative fields. Already in March, he responded to yet another AI-generated picture claiming to feature David Corenswet as the new actor cast as Superman in his costume. The picture had been spread all over the internet and had claimed to present an exclusive first look at the actor in the role. Gunn, never one to pass on an opportunity to seize sarcasm, commented on the inaccuracies that abound in the image, playfully poking and prodding how it is obviously just from AI. A funny yet bitter review, you could say that clarifies his take against AI being used for this purpose.
However, Gunn’s objections run further than aesthetics or the accuracy of AI-generate content. His scathing critique further takes up the general sense that seems to remain the quiet cry of too many creators in cinema and television: AI poses a danger to real creativity. Many of these tools rely heavily on preexisting works, and as a collective, they fear this constitutes using their intellectual properties. By drawing content from already well-established arts, AI systems are able to deliver that which could technically be called original but, in reality, consists of nothing but a total lack of actual creativity and often is soulless.
Further than the quality of the film and its images, this debate has gone beyond films and images. Perhaps the aspect of AI’s effect on screenwriting, acting, and other productions has been the most contentious, hotly debated among film participants. Many filmmakers, actors, and writers fear that one day AI can take a human job away from humans, reducing the difference that makes great stories so unique and distinct. Gunn’s public declaration against AI marks a growing concern that such emerging technologies may mean sweeping away what makes the entertainment industry so authentic.
A Larger Creative Opposition
James Gunn is one among many artists in Hollywood and beyond who find AI technology repulsive, but there exists a much larger resistance. Many artists, writers, directors, and everyone else abhors AI for mainly due to two reasons: it tends to draw significantly from existing art, and it cannot truly reproduce the human expression for its lack of human imagination in the best sense. AI only imitates but cannot innovate, thus unsuitable to replace human creativity. This puts forward a bigger issue- at least when put into context of the arts-one about the ethics of AI and its place in society.
With James Gunn now at the helm of DC Studios, AI-generated content is not happening anytime soon. It is worthy of commendation that the filmmaker works hard to safeguard creative integrity, and it does do well with those who believe that technology should supplement the human element that goes into art rather than trying to replace it. Given its constant evolution and expanding capabilities, further discussion about AI in creative industries will continue most likely. But for now, filmmakers like James Gunn are fighting back to the right stands in terms of making sure that whatever film they will produce will be crafted from human imagination and not from machine learning.
