Embracing the ChA.I.os, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying & Love The Machine
We can’t believe our lying eyes.
Whenever a new technology is unveiled to the public, it usually means that it’s been quietly in use amongst elite circles for many years, perhaps several decades. It takes a good, long while before the ruling class decide that they’ve got enough of a technological advantage on the Plebs before they toss ’em their crumbs, and then get right back to the work of deceiving them left and right.
Such is likely the case with the recent “advent” of new artificial intelligence systems for public consumption. It seems that, day by day, the common man is more equipped to conjure whatever images are on his mind and display them for the world to see. In the last month, the OpenAI company released the first version of their Sora program, which can create photo-realistic videos in a matter of seconds, to a select number of users.
With almost any groundbreaking new wave of technology comes a panic over how it will affect the quality of human life, not without reason. At the moment, workers in almost every industry are concerned over the potential of being replaced by The Machine. I, being a jobless hermit, am viewing all of this from a place of detachment, so excuse me if I come across as insensitive to the plight of the artists – the musicians, illustrators, animators, actors, designers – who the kids these days refer to as “content creators”.
We can clearly see now that the media has the tools to fabricate whatever images and footage they like, in order to weaponize it against their enemies. We are headed into a brave new world where we can no longer believe our lying eyes. Any and all new information put forth will be heavily scrutinized, or outright dismissed. Even a defendant in court can dismiss video evidence as a forgery.
At what point, then, do we stop trusting our media entirely and stop paying attention? “The Receipts” have been rendered utterly useless. It will be impossible to convince anyone of anything through a screen. The only way to prove something occurred is with multiple eye witnesses, and even those can be coached and coerced into saying whatever is required of them. We shall begin to see the media as one giant movie, perhaps what it always has been, and the viewers will no longer be under its sway.
“We are involved here in a far-reaching conspiracy to undermine our most basic beliefs and sacred institutions. Who’s behind this conspiracy? Once again, ask the question: ‘Who has the most to gain?’ People in high places, their names would astound you. People in low places, concealing their activities beneath a cloak of poverty. People of all walks of life, left-wing and right-wing, black and white, students and scholars! A conspiracy of such ominous proportions that we will never never know the whole story, and we’ll never be able to reveal all the facts!” - Lt. Miles Practice
We love to focus on the negative, a drug which accelerates our dopamine and feeds on our worst fears. Through all of this, we often lose sight of the positives sitting in front of us, and neglect to count our blessings. Instead of being afraid of the ramifications of this new A.I. technology, I choose to see the great potential it has to serve humanity, as opposed to us serving it.
The way A.I. will impact our industries may ultimately round about to benefitting us. If we lose trust in the media, then we will start to only believe what's right in front of us, or go inward to find the truth within ourselves. Perhaps that isn't such a bad way to go about our lives. We won't let the external world affect so much of how we feel and act.
Since I’m a film buff, I’d like to see how this technology will affect the film industry in the near future. Soon, we will have the ability to create whatever movies we want to see at the touch of a button. Johnny Boy sitting at his computer in his dormitory will get to see the Justice League, the Fellowship of the Ring, Luke Skywalker, Van Helsing, Ultraman, and Kermit the Frog, all teaming up to battle Galactus disguised as Caligula reincarnated as Hitler, all by simply typing it out. Why should he give another cent to a Hollywood movie, if it won’t offer him something new and exciting that he couldn’t have imagined himself?
Why should Hollywood keep spending the GDP of Micronesia on these overblown blockbusters, when folks in their basements can whip up something with better-looking visuals in almost no time? Perhaps the film industry will move away from the big-budget, effects-heavy crowd-pleasers and turn their focus to telling more personal, artist-driven stories on a much smaller scale.
As I've stated in a previous article, this A.I. technology is a godsend to writers. The Visionaries will no longer have to prove themselves to anyone, or make concessions to the money lenders, in order to have his or her vision translated to the screen. I could see many screenwriters, authors, and playwrights turning to A.I. to create instant adaptations of their work, even if it's only for their own gratification. Writers could also learn how to insert code into their prompts to help the A.I. visualize their concepts almost exactly. This can be a new art form in the making.
I don't believe that the industries are dying, but rather finding new avenues to thrive. We may be on the verge of a new creative renaissance. With these visualizing tools at our disposal, and with more intellectual properties entering the public domain year by year, it has never been easier to make your own major motion pictures at home.
Alejandro Martinez writes about film and other stuff on his mind because he has nothing better to do. He is the owner of “It’s Only A Movie” and “The Early Years” on Medium. He is working on a book on “1994 In Film”.
