Aspects of AI has now become a source of concern for Hollywood

Hollywood actors are now split over their creative futures as the rise of artificial intelligence is now looking to take over everything. The idea that artificial intelligence could write, shoot, and even perform in movies is no longer the distant thought it used to be.

According to Hollywood Reporter, the debut of OpenAI’s Sora 2, generating hyper-real video from text prompts, and the rise in digital actors such as Tilly Norwood seeking talent representation have now become a cause for concern. Actors now feel that these developments are one software update away from either a breakthrough or an existential crisis.

Hollywood actors split over creative future

According to Guy Danella, president of film at indie outfit XYZ Film, the reality hit him when a team pitched him a full 90-minute movie that was generated using artificial intelligence. Danella, who is known for movies like The Raid and Skylines, said, “I call it Skynet cinema because it feels like we’re coming for the humans.”

He added that someone asked if he would agree to pool a couple of million dollars to finance the movie, asking about the implications of agreeing.

The report also noted that Bryn Mooser, founder of nonfiction studio XTR, agrees that the independent sector is closing in on a judgment day of some sort, but insists that he doesn’t expect it to be a Terminator-style apocalypse. Through XTR, Mooser has launched AI animation arm Asteria, developing projects with talents like Natasha Lyonne and Toy Story 4 writer Will McCormack.

Mooser claims that two rapidly advancing technologies are driving the industry-wide shift, highlighting the increasingly powerful Nvidia chips enabling real-time rendering and the custom-trained AI models that function as an extension of an artist’s workflow, producing storyboards, previs, background, and animatics in a fraction of the time. Mooser claims that big studios in Hollywood will use the combination to deliver faster and cheaper production.

Experts weigh in on AI regulation

Mooser also noted that smaller studios will be able to carry out previously impossible projects. “This shouldn’t be about making something like Anora cheaper,” he said. “It’s about helping indie filmmakers make bigger films on the same budgets. AI has the potential to democratize studio-level storytelling.” He noted that an indie-financed $80 million animated feature is a non-starter, but with AI tools, a $10 million version could become viable.

Danella agrees that the conversation is more pragmatic than apocalyptic. “Is there a way to use AI to save enough so we can add another day of shooting? That’s the question that makes sense,” he said. Asteria relies on creating AI models trained on licensed or original materials, avoiding the opt-out data scraping models associated with systems like ChatGPT or Sora 2. The issue has triggered warnings from the right holders that unlicensed use of copyrighted works could breach IP protections.

The report also mentioned that at the recent American Film Market, international buyers and sales agents noted that disclosure clauses about AI use are now appearing in representation and warranty language. These cover when, where, and on what datasets, with a seller describing it as insurance against future legislation. The rising paper trail shows that the real fight concerning artificial intelligence will be the legal aspect and not about its creative side.

“Our whole business is predicated on IP. If you do not protect that IP, there is no more business,” said Darren Frankel, who oversees AI initiatives at Adobe. He claimed that the debate would no longer be about who is for or against AI in Hollywood, but about the ethical and unregulated systems.

Frankel also cautioned that waiting for the government to intervene in the issue could also take years.

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