Lionsgate Will Feed Its Movies On AI, Even After The Embarrassment Of Its Megalopolis Trailer

There are few issues hotter in Hollywood right now than the use of AI—a tool, beyond all its sci-fi dystopian associations, that can threaten real work, and tear jobs away, from real people, be it artists, screenwriters. , actors, or movie critics. But seeing how AI can also deliver projects without the odd human considerations (like fair pay and working conditions, etc.), it’s no surprise that the entertainment industry is still mulling over ways to use it.

As reported in the Wall Street Journal, Variety, and other publications, and announced in a press release, Lionsgate has joined forces with AI research startups. Called a “first-of-its-kind partnership” in a press release, the agreement focuses on building and training a new AI model, customized from Lionsgate’s proprietary catalog. Designed primarily to help Lionsgate Studios, its filmmakers, directors and other creative talent grow their work, the model produces cinematic video that can be continuously replicated using the Runway system of controllable tools.”

The release also features a quote from Lionsgate vice chairman Michael Burns: “Runway is a visionary, cutting-edge partner that will help us use AI to develop cutting-edge, high-performance content creation opportunities. Many of our filmmakers are already excited about the apps that can be used in their pre-production and post-production. We view AI as a great tool to supplement, enhance, and augment our current operations. ” (The excited filmmakers are not named.)

As Variety points out, Lionsgate’s film and TV library includes about 20,000 titles, mostly John Wick, hunger Games, Sawagain It’s dusk franchises. This year, it released again A crow, The Borderlandsagain Megalopolis. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Burns said the studio expects to save “millions and millions” through the development of Runway; the paper adds that Lionsgate “plans to use the new AI tool for internal purposes such as storytelling—placing a series of images that show how the story unfolds—and eventually creating backgrounds and special effects, such as explosions, for the big screen.”

The WSJ also points out, however, “Runway and other artificial intelligence startups have been sued by groups representing visual artists who claim the tech companies infringed copyrights by using their work to train their AI models. A spokesman declined to comment on the proceedings. The company has filed a request to have this case dismissed.”

This partnership, of course, ensures that Runway has full permission from the studio to use properties owned by Lionsgate in the creation of its new model. What do you think of this latest development in the ongoing “AI in Hollywood” saga?

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