At an investor conference in Japan on Thursday Chief Executive Tony Vinciquerra of Sony Entertainment said that the company is “very focused on AI” and is actively working to incorporate the technology into the moviemaking process to enhance efficiency. Notably, to reduce production costs Sony Pictures is adopting generative artificial intelligence.
Notably, the use of AI has become a central point of discussion amid ongoing negotiations between Hollywood’s major crew union and top studios for a new contract set to expire on July 31.
Furthermore, the emergence of AI tools such as OpenAI’s text-to-video model Sora has raised concerns in Hollywood about potential impacts on labour from crewmembers and talent following the resolutions of last year’s work stoppages. Union protections have become the primary barrier to the displacement of workers by these technologies.
Tony Vinciquerra said, “We’ll be looking at ways to use AI to produce films for theatres and television in more efficient ways, using AI primarily. The agreements that came out of last year’s strikes and the agreements that will come out of the IATSE and Teamster [negotiations] will define roughly what we do with AI.”
DreamWorks founder Jeffrey Katzenberg last year, made predictions regarding the impact of AI on the cost of animated movies, suggesting a potential reduction of up to 90% in the media and entertainment industries. With AI’s help, world-class animated films which once required 500 artists over five years to create, he anticipates that AI could achieve similar results in just a fraction of the time, estimating around three years from now.
Additionally, AI is leading to job losses in Hollywood, with little relief expected shortly according to a study conducted in January, surveying 300 leaders across the entertainment sector. According to the report, three-fourths of respondents indicated that AI tools have contributed to the elimination, reduction, or consolidation of jobs within their companies. The study further revealed that workers in visual effects, voice actors, concept artists, and other post-production roles are particularly at risk.