Ben Affleck: AI Transforms Cinema, But Will Never Replace Human Art | Festina Lente - Your leading source of AI news | Turtles AI

Ben Affleck discussed the future of AI in film, arguing that while it won’t replace human creativity, AI could cut costs and improve production, opening up new economic opportunities for the industry. Speaking to CNBC, he highlighted AI’s impact on visual effects and new forms of user-generated content.

Key Points:

• AI won’t replace human creativity in filmmaking, but it could reduce costs. 
• AI models could revolutionize visual effects and speed up production. 
• AI could create a new revenue stream for the film industry, similar to DVD sales. 
• Affleck believes AI can generate personalized content for viewers, but still with a fundamental human touch.

Ben Affleck, a well-known actor and director, shared his thoughts on the future of cinema in a recent meeting with investors, raising a question as fascinating as it is controversial: how AI can rewrite the rules of filmmaking, without threatening the creative essence that makes cinema a human art. At the CNBC Delivering Alpha 2024 summit, Affleck explained how AI models, however extraordinary they are at imitating styles and translating concepts, will never be able to replace the intuition and artistic judgment that belong to human beings. While AI can be defined as an “artisan” of reproduction and adaptation, on the other hand, according to Affleck, it does not possess the creative soul that makes a work of art something unique and unrepeatable. In fact, he compared AI to a carpenter who, while he knows how to replicate a perfect chair, does not know when to stop and does not possess the vision that makes a creation a masterpiece.

However, despite this inherent limitation, Affleck did not fail to recognize the potential of AI to radically change some of the more mechanical and expensive aspects of film production. Speaking pragmatically, he suggested that the adoption of technologies such as those for the generation of automated visual effects could significantly reduce costs and speed up the production of films, allowing productions such as "House of the Dragon" to launch two seasons in significantly reduced times. It is not difficult to imagine, in the near future, a film industry that uses AI to simplify the most burdensome tasks, lightening the economic burden of complex techniques, such as those of special effects, now too expensive and slow. "If I were in the visual effects industry, I would be worried," Affleck added, envisioning a possible scenario in which highly specialized work becomes cheaper thanks to automation. This prediction echoes what we are already seeing in the world of technology, where the ability to create visual effects with artificial intelligence tools is growing exponentially.

In addition to the impact on the production process, Affleck also hinted at a future where AI becomes a new source of revenue for the film industry. In a world where DVD sales are in sharp decline, with the advent of streaming platforms radically changing the distribution dynamics, AI could compensate for this decline by offering viewers a completely personalized experience. Imagine being able to buy an episode of a show like "Game of Thrones" with your favorite character, or even generate new content completely tailored to your preferences. In essence, Affleck hypothesized that the film industry could emulate the business model already in place in the clothing industry, where licenses for the creation of personalized content are sold directly to fans. Thus, a fan could create their own AI-generated video, featuring characters and settings from their favorite shows, offering companies a new avenue for monetization.

However, Affleck is firm in arguing that, despite the economic potential of AI, its main function will remain that of support, never replacement. The human artist, with its ability to innovate and push the limits of creativity, will continue to be the beating heart of cinema. AI, as he has clearly highlighted, is not able to "create" something completely new, but limits itself to combining and reinterpreting what already exists. This means that the unique vision of a director, the alchemy between actors, screenwriters and producers, will continue to remain central to the creation of stories that excite and inspire.

As fascinating as the idea of ​​an increasingly automated and personalized cinema may seem, Affleck has emphasized a reality that cannot be ignored: AI, however useful, will never have the magic of human ingenuity.

The future of cinema, with its ability to excite, to tell universal stories and to reflect the human condition, will remain, fortunately, in the hands of those who are able to look at the world with creative eyes.