Abstract/Summary

‘Generative AI’, the term for systems of code that can learn autonomously and create novel texts, images and videos, is impacting on filmmaking itself. This approach to computer coding deliberately mimics the brain, building artificial neural networks that unleash the potential of algorithms to produce ‘synthetic media’ that is remarkably similar to human creativity. It is a development both inspiring and contentious: already arguments have ignited about the rights and wrongs of using algorithms to replace human imagination and labour in scriptwriting, performance and the creation of moving images. This article looks at how AI is opening up new possibilities in film production processes, and explores the remarkable and highly challenging ideas that confront film culture in the artificial intelligence era.