It has long been a point of discussion held in close ties with science fiction predicting future science, technology, or sociological development. At any good science fiction conference you can find certain names bandied about predicting this, or that. This also has, to greater or lesser extent, carried over into television and movies, be they based on established books, or created for the screen. So what I am going to discuss is nothing really new, but I think the example I am about to discuss is so eerily close to current events as to be unreal.
The current events I am speaking of is the WGAW/WGAE and SAG strikes - or more imporantly certain issues at the heart of that strike involving A.I. Among the issues involved is the way studios are offering A.I. pay reimbursement to background actors and extras to allow their likenesses to be scanned for use in perpetuity. On a broader scale is the idea that studios and streaming services could use advanced A.I. to develop much more true, interactive, On-Demand services where you as a consumer might be able to describe what type of movie you would like to see including some of the actors and actresses in it, and the A.I. could generate a custom experience movie for you. Some say this is ludicrous and far fetched, and the technology isn't there yet...but isn't it? Looking at what I have seen from A.I. recently, the biggest limit I see right now is render power to make such a custom film. In fact A.I. is already being used to make interactive presidential candidates, deep fake videos of Tom Cruise, Fake video Dating Profiles, and so many other things. A year ago I would have agreed, the technology wasn't there, but with just what I have seen within these last six months, I am not so sure it hasn't already passed this point. As a consumer, it sounds great that I could have some form of streaming device that would give me content I would be more likely the enjoy by describing it to the device, and having the device also be able to learn from my choices and criticisms. As a creator and artists, this would sort of defeat my need and desire to make things myself though.
All of this is just some context for what I really want to bring up, though.
Many years ago, a friend of mine urged me to watch a particular movie as he thought the style and themes would be right up my alley. That Movie was called The Congress (I swear it had a much longer title, but can find no proof of that now...I've been Mandela'd again). One of the core elements of this film involves an Actress selling her Identity to a studio for creating a digital presence that the studio can use - and how this ends up playing out. I really can not say more than that without many spoilers and I do not want to ruin it for any of those who may not have seen it but might wish to. Many aspects of the movie are very surreal, it mixes live action and animation, and takes a lot of twists and turns. The movie is based on a 1971 Polish Science Fiction novel called The Futurological Congress. I have never read the novel, so I am unsure of how accurate the novel to film adaptation is, but if it is accurate, then this novel may have very well predicted how digital and A.I. might impact and even come to replace Actors, Authors, and even directors and producers. I feel there are concepts within the movie that closely parallel some of the concerns and actual uses being discussed for A.I. by actors and writers - and I find it eerily prophetic.
If you have seen this film or read this book, I would love to hear your thoughts on it. If you haven't seen this movie but are a science fiction fan, or following the A.I. development and issues (or just looking for a good movie to inspire some thought and reflection) I would recommend giving this movie a look. It is available free with ads on several streaming services.
The current events I am speaking of is the WGAW/WGAE and SAG strikes - or more imporantly certain issues at the heart of that strike involving A.I. Among the issues involved is the way studios are offering A.I. pay reimbursement to background actors and extras to allow their likenesses to be scanned for use in perpetuity. On a broader scale is the idea that studios and streaming services could use advanced A.I. to develop much more true, interactive, On-Demand services where you as a consumer might be able to describe what type of movie you would like to see including some of the actors and actresses in it, and the A.I. could generate a custom experience movie for you. Some say this is ludicrous and far fetched, and the technology isn't there yet...but isn't it? Looking at what I have seen from A.I. recently, the biggest limit I see right now is render power to make such a custom film. In fact A.I. is already being used to make interactive presidential candidates, deep fake videos of Tom Cruise, Fake video Dating Profiles, and so many other things. A year ago I would have agreed, the technology wasn't there, but with just what I have seen within these last six months, I am not so sure it hasn't already passed this point. As a consumer, it sounds great that I could have some form of streaming device that would give me content I would be more likely the enjoy by describing it to the device, and having the device also be able to learn from my choices and criticisms. As a creator and artists, this would sort of defeat my need and desire to make things myself though.
All of this is just some context for what I really want to bring up, though.
Many years ago, a friend of mine urged me to watch a particular movie as he thought the style and themes would be right up my alley. That Movie was called The Congress (I swear it had a much longer title, but can find no proof of that now...I've been Mandela'd again). One of the core elements of this film involves an Actress selling her Identity to a studio for creating a digital presence that the studio can use - and how this ends up playing out. I really can not say more than that without many spoilers and I do not want to ruin it for any of those who may not have seen it but might wish to. Many aspects of the movie are very surreal, it mixes live action and animation, and takes a lot of twists and turns. The movie is based on a 1971 Polish Science Fiction novel called The Futurological Congress. I have never read the novel, so I am unsure of how accurate the novel to film adaptation is, but if it is accurate, then this novel may have very well predicted how digital and A.I. might impact and even come to replace Actors, Authors, and even directors and producers. I feel there are concepts within the movie that closely parallel some of the concerns and actual uses being discussed for A.I. by actors and writers - and I find it eerily prophetic.
If you have seen this film or read this book, I would love to hear your thoughts on it. If you haven't seen this movie but are a science fiction fan, or following the A.I. development and issues (or just looking for a good movie to inspire some thought and reflection) I would recommend giving this movie a look. It is available free with ads on several streaming services.
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