Ben Affleck AI Animals: Tool or Threat?

Ben Affleck AI Animals: Is it just computing or dangerous?

Ben Affleck AI Animal

Can a movie star support AI while still being kind to artists? This is the dilemma raised by Ben Affleck, who has defended using AI in his Netflix film, Animals.

The controversy over Ben Affleck AI animals has now attracted great attention. Some people are calm, while some are excited. Let’s take a close look at what Ben Affleck said and understand why he said that.

What did Ben Affleck say about AI?

Animals is a crime film directed by and starring Ben Affleck, also starring Gillian Anderson and Kerry Washington.

The key points he made were as follows:

• Affleck said that “AI is another form of computing.” He does not consider it to be something monstrous.
• He believes that AI cannot take the place of a director, because simply inputting words cannot achieve what a director can do.
• He did not want to reveal the application of AI in the film.

The reason why people are so curious about what he said is that Affleck has always been a bit like a magician. Magicians will never reveal the secret of how they perform magic; otherwise it will no longer be magic.

Affleck believes that just like magicians, movie makers should keep the secrets of the film industry. Once the audience knows how films are made, the magic will be gone.

Ben Affleck, InterPositive and Netflix

Now we have got to the crux of the controversy over Ben Affleck AI animals. In 2022, Affleck set up a company called InterPositive that makes AI tools for the film industry. Subsequently, Netflix bought this company for an astonishing sum of $600 million.

In addition, it should be noted that Affleck serves as a senior adviser for technology solutions at Netflix. He provides guidance to the company on how to use new technologies, including AI, to produce movies and TV dramas.

In short, he is now in a very special position: a movie director and a technical adviser for a Hollywood giant. So, is there a hidden agenda for him to speak out in favor of AI recently?

Assistant or replacement?

Let’s first take a look at the positive impact of AI on film production. At present, AI can certainly be used to assist film production.

For example, AI can help complete some tedious tasks such as video clipping and graphic editing. In addition, AI can be used to generate some simple visual effects and beautify images, thus saving a lot of time and effort.

However, the reality is that many performers and writers have already been hurt by the introduction of AI.

In terms of recent strikes by Hollywood writers and actors, the fundamental reason was precisely the opposition to AI technology. At present, there are still many people in Hollywood who worry that AI technology will cause a disaster in the film industry.

For example, budgets are likely to be reduced, and computer graphics are likely to replace manual painting. At the same time, the job opportunities for fresh graduates may also be squeezed.

By contrast, Affleck belongs to the elite group in Hollywood. He has a big future ahead of him. On the other hand, an ordinary worker who takes over the tedious work of video clipping has a fragile career. The two are in completely different worlds, and the value of technology seems to be completely different.

Why so concerned about the controversy

Actually, it is not that Affleck is so concerned about the future development of Hollywood movie-making technology. More importantly, he has a tremendous influence in the field of movie-making. In addition, he himself occupies a unique position in the film industry.

His words carry great weight. So when he downplays the harm of AI and says that AI is simply “another form of computing”, many people will be convinced. Nevertheless, many artists may want to ask more fundamentally important questions.

What’s next?

Let’s take Affleck’s new work, Animals, as an example. If this film can gain popularity and no one notices the so-called AI deception, it is very likely that other streaming platforms will follow suit. Then, many movie directors will copy Affleck and try to make the magic happen again.

Conclusion

Affleck has always been a technologist-friendly figure in Hollywood, and he openly advocates the use of emerging technologies such as AI in movies.

On the one hand, he believes that technology is just a tool, and on the other hand, he himself benefits greatly from technological progress. Perhaps the truth is somewhere in between.

Although AI can bring many conveniences to movie-making, real people still need to be respected and protected. What’s your opinion on the controversy over Ben Affleck AI animals? Is an AI assistant a threat to the film industry?