The Shape of Things to Come

I am, and always have been, in love with AI. 

Not artificial consciousness, which is unfortunately what a lot of people think it means, not artificial sentience or sapience (two different things and also not this).

I mean exactly what the term says - artificial intelligence. Augmented intelligence is perhaps a more exact way to describe it (That's what ChatGPT suggested anyway).

This morning I woke to the news that the Writers Guild of America is going on strike, the day after I encountered the delightful trailer for a Wes Anderson Star Wars movie that has yet to be made, and yet the trailer is real, and made 100% from AI generated images with Midjourney and a few plug ins. I'm sure it took hours, perhaps days, and it involves only a smidgen of motion, which is fine for a Wes Anderson trailer but no good for, say, a Michael Bay fake movie. I don't know if the audio is AI-created; it could have been, but grabbing something off of Musicbed would be simpler - for now. 

The Writers are going on strike, but if it lasts more than a few months? They perhaps won't have anything to come back to.

The incredible thing about Midjourney, ChatGPT, and AI music generators isn't just how well they augment human intelligence - how well we write, how well we paint or draw, how well we write or play music; it's also how fast they are continuing to evolve.

In five years it's likely that AI can generate a feature length movie, complete with dialogue, musical score, and widespread distribution via Youtube, Twitch and other channels, in a manner of minutes. Perhaps seconds. And not just one; MILLIONS of them, concurrently.

Better yet: If AI knows you like, for instance, Wes Anderson and the Coen Brothers and Guy Ritchie movies, as well as hockey, pancakes, and Warhammer 40K, it can generate movies that satisfy your particulars. It could even include your favorite actors, and their voices. in five years we will certainly be able to generate an infinite variety of new Marx Brothers movies, more episodes of Breaking Bad, and a hundred alternate endings for Lost.

The possibilities of artificial intelligence are truly exciting. It's neither intended nor (likely) able to replicate human consciousness, AI can augment and enhance our creativity in ways we've never imagined.

The recent news of the Writers Guild of America going on strike highlights the need for creative solutions, and AI-generated content may be the answer. Platforms like Midjourney and AI music generators are already changing the game, and as they continue to evolve at an incredible pace, we can expect even more revolutionary advancements in the near future.

Imagine a world where AI can generate an infinite variety of movies, music, and other media, personalized to your specific tastes and preferences. It's a thrilling prospect that has the potential to transform our entertainment-oriented society in unprecedented ways.

While AI still needs guidance from human creators, the arrival of creative AI has the power to make everyone their own media network, movie studio, and music publisher. In this new era, the possibilities are truly limitless.