OpenAI accelerates its projects for its AI video generator Sora – and that involves a Hollywood charm offensive.
The details are still sketchy, but we do know that the company is reaching out to filmmakers as well as studios. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and COO Brad Lightcap are having “introductory conversations” with industry stakeholders, according to Bloomberg.
Unspecified directors and actors already have access to Sora, the report said. It’s part of an effort to “encourage filmmakers to integrate its new AI video generator into their work.”
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Sora was revealed in February – and while there has yet to be a public release, the announcement raised concerns about the data used to train the model and its potential impact on the film industry .
As with ChatGPT, OpenAI has not been transparent about Sora’s training data. But the creatives already suspicious Sora was trained by scraping artwork and videos without the knowledge or consent of their creators.
OpenAI is already facing several copyright infringement lawsuits including allegations of this practice with the large language models that power ChatGPT.
The use of AI video tools threatens to upend the film industry by replacing jobs ranging from visual effects professionals to screenwriters and even actors.
The recent strike by Hollywood writers and actors unions (WGA and SAG-AFTRA) aimed to contractually limit the use of AI in writers rooms. Unions also fought to create digital resemblances of actors who could be used in perpetuity without pay.
The WGA will soon vote on a tentative agreement that prevents use of AI content as source material for writers’ rooms. SAG-AFTRA, in its contract with the studios, won promises of compensation and credit for AI similarities – but failed to completely ban the practice.
Already, scenes featuring generative AI have crept into movies like Late night with the devil.
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‘Artists’ Wash’
Meanwhile, OpenAI released a blog post full of “first impressions” from a select group of testers who are visual artists, filmmakers and creative directors – which tells a different story.
The article features commentary from director Paul Trillo, production company Shy Kids, creative agency Native Foreign, artist August Kamp, creative director Josephine Miller and AR/XR artist Don Allen Stevenson III. Unsurprisingly, the feedback published on the OpenAI blog has been extremely positive.
Testers praised Sora’s ability to create photorealistic videos from text prompts and without constraints. “Not being limited by time, money or the permission of others, I can imagine and experiment in bold and exciting ways,” Trillo said.
The tweet may have been deleted
But X users were quick to point out OpenAI’s controlled narrative. “Artistwashing: When you solicit positive feedback on your generative AI model from a handful of creators, while training on people’s work without permission/payment,” wrote Ed Newton-RexCEO of Fairly Trained, an ethical AI data sourcing nonprofit.
In other words, if OpenAI is preparing to take on Hollywood, the company better prepare for cinematic drama.
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