'Avengers' director Joe Russo predicts how AI is the future of movies and storytelling
ST ANDREWS, SCOTLAND: Since the advent of AI (artificial intelligence), the question of whether or not it will take over the entertainment industry has occupied everyone's thoughts. If not, the question centers on how far this technological advancement will enable storytellers who lack the resources to tell stories on a large scale.
During a panel discussion at the Sands International Film Festival, 'Avengers: Endgame' co-director Joe Russo appeared alongside Epic Games' Chief Creative Officer, Donald Mustard, to speak about the near future of movies, gaming, and modern storytelling in light of the rise of artificial intelligence that is threatening to take over the world.
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'There's a real possibility now for technology to become a really important factor in our lives'
Steve Weintraub spoke with Russo and Mustard at the Sands International Film Festival, asking them about their views on whether AI will take over the world of entertainment and how it will play out in the worlds of video games, movies, and television. Russo reacted that they have had conversations about how this technology can be used, and that Gen Z is distinctive in that they are the first to have an exponential movement. Russo added, "There's a real possibility now for technology to become a really important factor in our lives because it's been embraced by Gen Z, and they grew up with it, they understand it, they know how to use it. That's important, right? We're not in a world where, you know, your uncle doesn't know how to send emails anymore. We're in a world where the entire generation has facile expertise in it, and is also not afraid of it."
Russo stated that we are living in a world where the entire generation is at ease with it and is not afraid of it before saying that what we can do is make use of it to develop storytelling and change the way stories are told and continue to evolve whether it's a movie, television show, or video game where people can go ahead and save the AI in their streaming service and curate their own specific story for them. However, the co-director of 'Avengers: Endgame' also mentioned that AI can also be used on a "communal level, populate the world of the game, have intelligence behind character choice, you know, the computer-run characters in the game that can make decisions learn your play style, make it a little harder for you, make it a little easier for you, curate the story." Russo stated he doesn’t know how long we have till we reach that point but the world is surely walking towards the same path.
'We are getting close to that point'
Mustard agreed with Russo and added, "I also think that we're not, to kind of facilitate that, we're really not that far off from" AI taking over the process of storytelling. He further acknowledged this by saying, "I kind of think, just like any new tool or any new form, artists, and craftspeople, we'll find ways to create new, awesome things with it. And it's really just that, it's another exciting, cool technology."
During the conversation, Russo additionally stated that he is a member of a few AI companies that are striving to develop AI to protect the public from AI, adding that, unfortunately, we all live in a world where there will be AI in our lives whether or not we like it or not, but the question is how to protect ourselves from it. When asked how long they think a movie created by AI will take, Russo said two years and Mustard said maybe less. Russo commented, “The value of it (AI in future) is the democratization of storytelling. That's incredibly valuable. That means that anyone in this room could tell a story, or make a game at scale, with the help of a photoreal engine or an engine and AI tools. That, I think, is what excites me about it most," as per Collider.
