Ben Affleck's Nuanced Take on AI in Filmmaking: Potential Benefits and Creative Limitations

Will AI take your jobs, how will it affect filmmaking? Fans impressed by Ben Affleck's reply here's what he said

Ben Affleck believes that artificial intelligence cannot replace human creativity in filmmaking, even though it can streamline laborious tasks and reduce costs.Ben Affleck fans didn't expect his bold opinion on controversial topics concerning the future of Hollywood. Ben Affleck appears to have many layers that fans were not previously aware of, but he revealed a different side of himself during a recent interview on a news show, as quoted in a report by Parade. During a recent interview with CNBC, the Air star surprised several of his fans with his position on a contentious topic concerning the future of Hollywood: A.I. (artificial intelligence). Also Read: Donald Trump to replace defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth? His inner circle quietly preparing a list of alternatives During a sit-down discussion at the Delivering Alpha 2024 investor summit, he was asked for his honest opinion on whether non-human technological advances are a benefit or a real threat. The conversation moderator then gave an example to further contextualise his query. Is it possible that Netflix could say, 'Ya know, we're going to do our own James Bond thing out there with a bunch of actors that are completely recreated for this market or that market? A: Right now, that's not feasible. B: In the future, will it be feasible? Very unlikely. C: The Gone Girl star sarcastically interrupted that if everything is replaced, films will be among the last things to be replaced by A.I. A.I. can write you an excellent imitative verse that sounds Elizabethan; it cannot write you, Shakespeare, Affleck went on. The function of having two actors or three or four actors in a room and the taste to discern and construct is something that currently entirely eludes AI's capability, and he thinks will for a meaningful period of time. Affleck also mentioned that AI will disintermediate the laborious, less creative, and more costly aspects of filmmaking, allowing costs to be brought down, lowering the barrier to entry, and allowing more voices to be heard. Also Read: Is Russia helping the Houthis in Yemen? If it's true, it could lead to a major problem for shipping Fans online were impressed with Affleck's explanation of the concept, with some commenting that he had the most articulate and realistic explanation of where video models and Hollywood are going. Others praised Affleck's ability to make things easier for certain functions in filmmaking and the future of the industry. One user even attempted to simplify the rhetoric by saying that AI is imitative, not creative. However, others did not seem as shocked, stating that Affleck is smart and has a better contextual understanding than most people. Another user shared a throwback video of Affleck discussing streaming back in August 2003. Overall, fans of Affleck's controversial views on AI and the future of Hollywood were surprised by his bold and insightful stance on the topic. What has Ben Affleck said about artificial intelligence in filmmaking? Affleck stated that artificial intelligence (AI) can streamline non-creative tasks in filmmaking but cannot replicate human creativity, interaction, or storytelling, making it unlikely to replace actors or directors anytime soon. How did fans react to Affleck's comments on AI? Fans were impressed by his articulate explanation and nuanced understanding of AI's creative limitations as well as its potential to reduce barriers in the film industry.

Ben Affleck's Thoughts On AI In The Movie Industry Go Viral

Ben Affleck isn't that worried about artificial intelligence, or AI, taking over his industry. The "Argo" director recently joined a panel at CNBC's Delivering Alpha 2024 investor summit, where moderator David Faber asked how close we really are to a streaming service like Netflix being able to produce entirely new "James Bond" films out of thin air. "A, that's not possible now," replied Affleck. "B, will it be possible in the future? Highly unlikely. C, movies will be one of the last things, if everything gets replaced, to be replaced by AI. AI can write you excellent imitative verse that sounds Elizabethan -- it cannot write you Shakespeare." Countless actors have expressed burgeoning concern over the technology, and thousands joined the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes of 2023 to demand regulations on the use of AI. However, Affleck says the technology won't be able to match the "taste" of real people hashing out scenes on set "for a meaningful period of time." There are a number of garish AI-created examples to bolster Affleck's point. "What AI is going to do is disintermediate the more laborious, less creative, and more costly aspects of filmmaking that will allow the costs to be brought down, that will lower the barrier to entry, that will allow more voices to be heard, that will make it easier for the people [who] want to make 'Good Will Huntings' to go out and make it," he argued. "AI is a craftsman at best," he added. "Craftsmen can learn to make Stickley Furniture by sitting down next to somebody and seeing what their technique is and imitating. That's how ... large language models basically work ... They're just cross-pollinating things that exist. Nothing new is created." When Faber chimed in with an ominous "not yet," Affleck briefly paused. "Craftsman is knowing how to work," he continued. "Art is knowing when to stop. And I think knowing when to stop is going to be a very difficult thing for AI to learn because it's [about] taste, lack of consistency, lack of controls, lack of quality." Affleck's answers were clipped on social media to viral results, as some users said they didn't expect him "to have the most articulate and realistic explanation" of how Hollywood might implement AI -- or didn't have "Affleck's astute commentary about AI on my bingo card." Others noted that people are oddly "surprised whenever Affleck is revealed to be quite intelligent." Affleck, who formed a production company meant to center creatives in 2022, accurately predicted movie and music streaming services over two decades ago. "You have less overhead, shipping, you pay no packaging," he said in a 2003 interview about the prospect of digital-only sales. "There's this mammoth amount of executives at music companies that are gloaming off a lot of that money [right now]." "It'll be movies on demand, but it'll be a tiered structure," he added about the battle against piracy. "It'll be like if you want to watch it first weekend ... if you want to watch it, you'll pay more and then as it goes to another structure in its release, it'll become less expensive."

Ben Affleck Says AI Can't Compete With Humans and Could Provide Extra Revenue

Artificial intelligence has been terrorizing the creative industries for the last couple of years leaving many bitter and worried about where it's all heading. But Ben Affleck has a couple of interesting predictions that may assuage fears. Speaking on CNBC Television, the Hollywood actor and writer says that AI is a "cross-pollinator" rather than a creator. Adding that AI will lower the creative barrier by eliminating the technical challenges of certain aspects of moviemaking and allow costs to be brought down. "It will make it easier for the people who want to make Good Will Hunting to go out and make it," says Affleck of the breakout movie he co-wrote with Matt Damon. The Gone Girl actor compares AI to a "craftsman" who can work but says AI is not an artist because it doesn't know when to stop. "And I think knowing when to stop is going to be a very difficult thing for AI tools to learn because it's taste," he says. "And also lack of consistency, lack of controls, lack of quality." Affleck says AI will be handy to fix mistakes or make tweaks to the background or small details. But insists it won't replace human beings. Speaking onstage, Affleck suggests that AI will help TV producers make more shows and that consumers could even ask for their own individualized episodes of their favorite shows such as Succession. Affleck says his hope for AI is that it will become an "additional revenue stream" that will replace lost DVD sales. However, it's not all roses: Affleck says the visual effects business could be in trouble because of AI. Affleck is a movie aficionado who is also a self-confessed camera geek. Earlier this year, he appeared in a documentary with then-wife Jennifer Lopez in which there is a scene where he waxes lyrical about "primes and ultra-primes" while scouring a camera truck.

Ben Affleck says AI can't 'replace human beings making films' because it lacks 'taste'

ChatGPT isn't about to make the next classic dad movie, figures A-lister and director Ben Affleck. Instead, an upcoming Good Will Hunting is in good hands with just humans behind the camera. AI might be "good" at churning out uncanny valley TikToks where a bunch of tomatoes somehow transform into cats or a pope runs away from aliens, but that's not necessarily enough to drive a business, Affleck believes. Not unlike the emperor's new clothes or Meta's metaverse leg situation, there's a bit of a chasm between AI's capabilities and what its PR shrills would have you believe it's able to do. Calling AI a "craftsman at best," Affleck explained that the tools work by nature of imitation. "They're just cross-pollinating things that exist. Nothing new is created," he said of language models while speaking at the 2024 CNBC Delivering Alpha conference last week. In order to be a standalone threat, AI would have to exhibit a higher level of artistic judgment rather than just producing eye-grabbing pig swill. "The function of having two actors or three or four actors in a room and the taste to discern and construct, that is something that currently entirely alludes AI's capability and I think will for a meaningful period of time," he said. In other words, AI is perhaps too cringe for its own good. Pointing out that there are current issues with controls and quality, Affleck suggested there's a larger issue at hand: AI is made to constantly churn out content and does not sense any conclusion or have much restraint. "Craftsman is knowing how to work," he said. "Art is knowing when to stop. Knowing when to stop is going to be a very difficult thing for AI to learn because it's [about] taste." "AI can write you excellent imitative verse that sounds Elizabethan; it cannot write you Shakespeare," he added. Affleck bats away fears of AI, as it stands now, as a real threat. "Movies will be one of the last things, if everything gets replaced, to get replaced by AI," he said. His comments stand in contrast to ones from a famous portrayer of many a himbo, Ashton Kutcher, who's made controversial remarks regarding the future of the business. "Instead of watching some movie that somebody else came up with, I can just generate and then watch my own movie," Kutcher said this summer when speaking of OpenAI's video tool Sora. He, of course, has some skin in the game, given that in 2023 his venture firm raised $243 million in five weeks to back artificial intelligence startups, including OpenAI. But Affleck too indulges in some AI advertisement, despite his initial misgivings. "What AI is going to do is disintermediate the more laborious, less creative, and more costly aspects of filmmaking. That will allow costs to be brought down," he said. Affleck added, perhaps a little optimistically, that AI will "lower the barrier to entry," as well as "allow more voices to be heard. That will make it easier for the people who want to make Good Will Huntings to go out and make it." But AI making Hollywood more accessible to anyone but venture capitalists and tech moguls has yet to be seen. While executives like Warner Music CEO Robert Kyncl or Netflix's Ted Sarndos discourage labeling AI as simply a threatening and encroaching being, there are warning signs flashing red. Three-fourths (or 75%) of leaders in the entertainment industry "indicated that AI tools supported the elimination, reduction or consolidation of jobs at their companies," according to a study of 300 leaders as commissioned by The Concept Art Assn. and the Animation Guild. In other words, it's wise to not fully trust a wolf in sheep's clothing "As someone who engages a lot with the darkness of capitalism, I think we've got a fight on our hands," Noah Hawley, creator of the series Fargo, told Fox News, while adding that he doesn't believe "we're going to be able to replace our best work with a simulation of our best work." Hollywood writers and actors found some success in issuing guardrails on AI's unmigrated growth after both went on strikes for a new contract. Instead of pushing out actors, AI might be working behind the scenes. "It may make your background more convincing, it could change the color of your shirt, it can fix mistakes that you made. It can make it so you might be able to get two seasons of House of the Dragon in a year instead of one," said Affleck, warning that it will, however, likely impact the visual effects business. He seemingly doesn't back those jobs as much. "I wouldn't like to be in the visual effects business, they're in trouble," he said. "Because what costs a lot of money is going to cost a lot less. It's going to hammer that space, and it already is, and maybe it shouldn't take 1,000 people to render something." In his mind, "what should happen with the same demand and the same span is they should just make more shows," allowing for fans to pay for their own episodes of Succession where Kendall has an affair with Stewy -- per Affleck's example. Of course, it'll likely be "a little janky," but it might fill that fancast need for consumers. His hope is that it'll create "an additional revenue stream that can replace DVD, which took 15 to 20 percent out of the economy of filmmaking," he said. "And there should be negotiated rights," he concluded.

AI-generated shows could replace lost DVD revenue, Ben Affleck says

Last week, actor and director Ben Affleck shared his views on AI's role in filmmaking during the 2024 CNBC Delivering Alpha investor summit, arguing that AI models will transform visual effects but won't replace creative filmmaking anytime soon. A video clip of Affleck's opinion began circulating widely on social media not long after. "Didn't expect Ben Affleck to have the most articulate and realistic explanation where video models and Hollywood is going," wrote one X user. In the clip, Affleck spoke of current AI models' abilities as imitators and conceptual translators -- mimics that are typically better at translating one style into another instead of originating deeply creative material. "AI can write excellent imitative verse, but it cannot write Shakespeare," Affleck told CNBC's David Faber. "The function of having two, three, or four actors in a room and the taste to discern and construct that entirely eludes AI's capability." Affleck sees AI models as "craftsmen" rather than artists (although some might find the term "craftsman" in his analogy somewhat imprecise). He explained that while AI can learn through imitation -- like a craftsman studying furniture-making techniques -- it lacks the creative judgment that defines artistry. "Craftsman is knowing how to work. Art is knowing when to stop," he said. "It's not going to replace human beings making films," Affleck stated. Instead, he sees AI taking over "the more laborious, less creative and more costly aspects of filmmaking," which could lower barriers to entry and make it easier for emerging filmmakers to create movies like Good Will Hunting. While it may seem on its surface like Affleck was attacking generative AI capabilities in the tech industry, he also did not deny the impact it may have on filmmaking. For example, he predicted that AI would reduce costs and speed up production schedules, potentially allowing shows like HBO's House of the Dragon to release two seasons in the same period as it takes to make one.

Ben Affleck tells actors and writers not to worry about AI

Unions representing Hollywood actors and writers went on strike last year to secure protections against AI systems taking their jobs. But Ben Affleck says that actors and screenwriters shouldn't worry about AI because it's not capable of doing either job today, and likely won't for a long time. "Movies will be one of the last things - if everything gets replaced - to be replaced by AI," said Affleck during an onstage interview with CNBC last week. "AI can write you an excellent imitative verse that sounds Elizabethan, it cannot write you Shakespeare." Affleck, who runs a movie studio with Matt Damon now, seems to have a pretty good grasp on how AI works, offering a decent definition of transformer architectures at one point in the interview. He's surprisingly optimistic regarding AI's impact on the film industry, saying it may actually create more work for actors and screenwriters. That said, Affleck notes that the visual effects business could be in trouble.