Famed filmmakerMichael Bayis the latest entertainment professional to share his thoughts on the timely topic ofArtificial Intelligence(AI), and, surprise, he’s also not a fan. Bay recently took to social media to share his opinions on AI, saying it “doesn’t create,” it “just imitates,” before adding that its use “will create a whole bunch of lazy people.” He concluded his post with a message to creators, encouraging them to “have no fear.” Check out what theTransformersdirector had to say below:
Bay is best known for his big-budget, special effects-rich, action-packed films (that feature plenty of explosions). His most famous films include Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, Bad Boys, The Rock, and theTransformersfilm series. Bay’s projects have consistently been commercially successful but far from being critical darlings. His best-received film (critically speaking) is arguably his latest directorial feature, 2022’sAmbulance. He is next set to helm a film adaptation of the modern science-fiction novelRobopocalypse,set in the aftermath of a robot uprising.
Bay’s comments come as the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) resume negotiations to resolve the ongoing actors strike. According to a recent report fromDeadline, AI protection remains a central point of contention between SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP, as the actors union demands “sturdy guardrails” in place to protect union members' compensation and rights to their likeness.
Negotiationshave been ongoing for several weeksand will resume today, Wednesday, November 8.
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Stephen King & Others Share Their Opinions on AI
Bay is not the only (and certainly won’t be the last) entertainment professional to voice their feelings about AI and its threats to the film industry. Renowned writer Stephen King recently said that he found it “very, very difficult to believe that AI — until it achieves real sentience, which is a ways away yet — can write anything,” likening the comparison between a human-scribed work and an AI-written piece to “Budweiser and some generic beer.”
In an interview published last month, actor and filmmaker Sean Penn said that studios' AI demands signal “a lack of morality” and provided an example of what he’d like to ask studio heads:
“So you want my scans and voice data and all that. OK, here’s what I think is fair: I want your daughter’s, because I want to create a virtual replica of her and invite my friends over to do whatever we want in a virtual party right now,” he said. “Would you please look at the camera and tell me you think that’s cool?”
During a Portland Art Museum talk in June for the immersive exhibitGuillermo del Toro: Crafting Pinocchio, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Torospoke on the current state of creativityand his thoughts on AI:
“I remain enthusiastic but skeptical, meaning I know we are a horrible human race, but we do great stuff, and many people are great. What brings me hope and makes me think that it’s worth it? The next generation because we undoubtedly fucked it up… in that hope, it can only come with your full support. When I see people who are fearless, I get inspired and I like it, and I like the possibilities when people talk about now, and how it’s all dire, and [how] people are afraid of artificial intelligence… I don’t fear artificial intelligence, I fear natural stupidity. Any intelligence in this world is artificial.
