By: Alexander Kristiansen
Generative AI is one of the most exciting technologies that is currently undergoing heavy development. Sure enough, when this first came around, I thought it was nothing more than a new meme machine. You would be able to create images of funny situations and send them to friends to share. This took another step when some companies began to use generative AI to make videos, and these videos are very realistic. With enough time and care, Generative AI videos were indistinguishable from their real-world counterparts.
The way it works is through compiling huge databases of relevant information and creates patterns and structure until the results closely matches its original subject and it can do this across multiple languages. After Bruce Willis was forced to retire due to being diagnosed with aphasia, he was still able to be in a commercial thanks to an AI firm called Deepcake (Schomer, 2023). This opens many avenues where we could potentially be seeing retired or deceased thespians returning to the big screen. With this also comes some concerns about who owns these imaging rights. This was one of the key issues during the recent SAG-AFTRA and writers strikes. More specifically, the union wanted “a groundbreaking AI proposal that protects actors’ digital likeness” (Webster, 2023). This stems from the fear that these programs could eventually become complex enough to replace them completely. This is true across many professions, as if a creative endeavor such as acting can be replaced, then more defined and programmed roles are at a risk as well. While there are many fears about how AI will look in the future, one individual is getting ahead of the dangers. Sam Altman, who happens to be the creator of OpenAI’s ChatGPT platform. Wherever Sam goes, he carries a blue backpack with him. Inside this backpack, is his laptop, with some codes. These codes can shut down data centers that would result in the termination of ChatGPT (Manish, 2023). While it is promising to know that we are prepared for the worst, let us hope that it never comes to that.
References
Manish. (2023) Sam Altman’s Nuclear Backpack Holds the Code to Save the World From AI. Mobile App Daily. Available from: https://www.mobileappdaily.com/news/sam-altmans-nuclear-backpack-holds-the-code-to-save-the-world-from-ai
Webster, A (2023) Actors say Hollywood studios want AI replicas – for free, forever. The Verge. Available from: https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/13/23794224/sag-aftra-actors-strike-ai-image-rights
Schomer, A (2023). Avatars as actors: Will AI unleash Celebrity ‘Simulation Rights’?. Variety.com.Available from: https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/avatars-as-actors-will-ai-unleash-celeb-simulation-rights-1235583875/
