AI in Hollywood cannot become acceptable
“Late Night With the Devil” is a brand new indie horror movie that stuck out for its unique concept, that being a found-footage-style horror film set on a Late Night Show. From what I’ve seen, “Late Night With the Devil” successfully recreates the feeling of watching an old show on tape. Unfortunately, it seems that despite all the care that went into every other element of the movie, some viewers began to catch on that the film had used AI artwork in some scenes. The use was confirmed by the directors, and controversy has spiraled from there.
While some are quick to excuse this use of AI, I am not. There is a danger in letting AI into the filmmaking scene no matter how “brief,” its appearance is, and the effects of AI allowance will inevitably catch up to creatives all over the world.
An argument that many people have been making is that because the amount of AI in the film was so small, it isn’t anything to get upset about. Directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes reaffirmed this opinion, saying, “we experimented with AI for three still images which we edited further and ultimately appear as very brief interstitials in the film.” These “brief” appearances included some network bumpers featured before and after the “commercial breaks,” and the logos on the drum kit and door of the show’s set. I personally do not buy nor accept the claim that the images were “edited” beyond putting a grainy filter over them. However, these images could well be the most fleeting moments, and I would still refuse to give “Late Night With the Devil” any of my money, as in my mind, it shows studios that I support the implementation of AI into their movies.
This is how it begins. A successful movie uses AI art for a couple of short shots, and everyone goes along with it, because it’s just a couple of short shots. Then we get AI scenes, then we get fully-AI movies. It’s a slippery slope I feel we’re veering towards quickly. If “Late Night With the Devil” proved anything, then even talented people are susceptible to playing with AI, which is a scary idea. If you care even a modicum about the future of film, I cannot in good conscience endorse this movie. If you give “Late Night With the Devil” your money, you are unwittingly casting your vote for AI’s place in Hollywood’s future.
