How Close Are We to AI-Generated Movies?

Generative AI has grown exponentially in recent years, elevating many aspects of operations and production across sectors. AI has ensured customer satisfaction and a steady revenue stream with improved efficiency, streamlined processes and automated services.

The entertainment industry has always relied on technology to bring stories to life. Many movies used technology to achieve cult classic status. Some examples include motion capture, rotoscope and computer animation. AI joins this list, but could it be used to make full-fledged AI-generated movies? Let’s take a look.

The Evolution of Generative AI in Movies

Implementing AI in the movie industry may be nascent, but it is fast becoming an industry standard. Research predicts that the use of generative AI in movies will grow more than tenfold from $351.1 million last year to $3.6 billion by 2033.

Many movie-making technologies now use AI to improve their processes and enhance output. AI creates, enhances, and automates many parts of film productions, enabling a much richer experience for audiences, especially in visual effects, screenplay and market distribution. 

In the earlier days, professionals used simpler versions of AI to generate effects and accentuate workflows. Many movies have also introduced AI in their storyline, usually in a dystopian future—for example, The Matrix and iRobot. The demand for such plots and the growth of technology have increased the use of AI in the industry.

Today, the use is much more widespread, with many stages of movie-making utilizing AI in various intensities in their processes. From script generation to marketing the film, AI’s growth is ubiquitous and its expansion is imminent.

Advantages of Generative AI in Movies

Traditionally, many processes in the making of a movie have been lengthy and tedious. For example, take the pre-production stage, where the team scouts for locations and techs, hires crews, and finalizes the script and budget and schedules shoot days. Depending on the scale and script, this takes a few weeks to months. In some cases, pre-production takes years, like Jurassic Park, which spent 25 months in pre-production.

With AI’s ability to automate tasks, these processes could become more efficient and, in turn, be completed quickly. Available technology looks for locations that best fit the script, predicts weather conditions and other parameters for smoother shoots and enhances scheduling accuracy. This can save the team valuable resources and time and allow them to focus on more complex tasks. 

AI can also enrich elements in the movie. For example, AI refines computer-generated imagery (CGI), giving a more natural look. It also polishes scripts and music scoring, and enhances casting by better matching an actor’s strengths and weaknesses to the script. Documentation and paperwork tasks become more seamless and marketing a movie is more efficient because AI tools can precisely predict the demographic and their reactions to the materials. 

Use of AI Technology in the Movie-Making Process

There are many aspects in which AI is used in the film-making process. Among these are: 

• Script writing and analysis: Software that can write, analyze, and anticipate a script’s success rate using predictive analysis exists. Earlier this year, The Last Scriptwriter, released on online platforms, was entirely written by AI. To date, it has more than 65,000 views on YouTube.
• Casting: AI can analyze headshots, promoting better diversity and equity in the industry. It can also search for actors who fit a character’s description more accurately quickly, saving crew members valuable time. In addition, AI tools are available for talent management companies to find their talents, improving accessibility. 
• Location recce: AI tools can help find suitable locations for shoots and analyze their usability and other parameters, like weather and costs. This allows the team to make informed decisions and save time by avoiding multiple location visits. 
• Visual value: Using AI, moviemakers can create advanced and stunning effects and animations without relying on advanced machines, studio power or a significant workforce. This technology also allows for de-aging actors, as exhibited in the movie Here, which saw a young Tom Hanks, further elevating the audience’s experience. 

Threats of Generative AI in the Film Industry

Despite its advantages and popularity, AI also causes significant risks to the industry. Among the threats are: 

• Increased unemployment rate: With the boom of AI, many departments can improve the efficacy of processes, automating them to save time and money. This makes manpower in these departments redundant, causing many to lose their jobs. AI is expected to reduce the workforce in many industries in the next five years, with 41% of employers choosing to shrink hiring due to technology.
• Widened creative gray area: AI is causing fear that it would obliterate the human touch. The cinema is known for its creativity and artistry — AI could overtake this and cause an oversaturation in the types of films made.
• Rise in privacy concern: AI’s popularity has always been plagued by privacy and security concerns, In cinema, reliance on AI can cause manipulation of private photos and videos and raise serious consent issues. For example, deepfake technology has been used to doctor materials and spread misinformation and rumors. In 2024, deepfake attacks happen every five minutes and seriously threaten how information is perceived

Can AI-Generated Movies Be a Reality?

The entertainment industry has already started using AI in many of its processes. AI could make data-based aspects of film-making, like budget planning, marketing and distribution, more efficient and seamless. This could optimize resource allocation and maximize revenue. 

It is only a matter of time before fully-fledged AI-generated movies hit the cinema. Crew members may be reluctant to adopt AI in their processes, but economic pressure and demand may soon cause the tools to infiltrate these departments. 

Whatever the results, it is vital to remember that the industry must balance digital autonomy and artistic freedom to ensure a satisfying film-making process and a rich movie experience.

The Future Is Now

Hollywood is shifting from the traditional approach to a more accepting view of AI and its counterparts. As the industry gears up to give AI a more prominent opening act, all stakeholders must work together to create an equilibrium on how the technology works.