Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has made itself felt across various industries, with many tools and features benefiting individuals and corporations. However, its impact on the entertainment sector remains far more contentious, with some embracing it and others rallying against its potential harm to creativity and originality. The industry is at a crossroads: is AI a tool for progress, or is it a threat to the heart of human creativity?
The Toll on Creatives
Imagine spending years crafting a story, perfecting your script, or composing a song, only for a machine to churn out a similar creation in minutes. That’s the fear many creatives in the entertainment industry are facing. For them, AI isn’t just a tool but an existential threat. Artists argue that AI doesn’t just mimic style or generate content; it strips away the passion and raw emotion that makes their work resonate with audiences.
When it comes to creative industries like entertainment, it’s not just about efficiency but about soul. The work that comes from human artists carries with it a depth of emotion and a perspective shaped by life experience, which is something many argue AI cannot replicate. While it can generate text, images, and music, it lacks the emotional insight that comes with being human. Many worry that replacing these authentic human elements with AI could leave the entertainment industry with hollow, lifeless content that doesn’t connect with people on an emotional level.
Efficiency vs. Originality
“If AI starts making all the creative decisions, what happens to the emotional connection between an artist and their audience?” This is a question that keeps many up at night. AI might be great for efficiency, but can it understand the subtleties of human emotion? Can it capture the spark that makes a piece of art truly unforgettable? Many believe the answer is no, and they worry about a future where machines, not people, define the entertainment people consume.
There are plenty of AI tools that many people take no issue with, such as a data analytics tool in information technology, a competitor analysis tool in marketing, or a grammar correction tool in everyday writing. These are uninvasive assistants at their core, making mundane or tedious tasks easier and providing genuine benefit. AI can streamline some aspects of production, but when it comes to the heart of entertainment, efficiency might lack the depth and soul of something truly unique, resulting in content that feels hollow or derivative.
For many, the idea of a machine creating entire productions raises serious questions about the future of creativity. How much originality can a system, trained on pre-existing work, truly offer? And at what cost to human artists?
A Future at Risk?
A central part of the creative’s issue with AI is that almost every prominent model was trained off of existing copyrighted work—and artists didn’t see a penny for its use. In other words, AI is trained on data that already exists, so it can only create by regurgitating what’s been done before. Many of these models can be prompted to mimic a certain writer or artist’s style, and it will produce writing, generate an image or series of images, or mimic the voice of that individual.
Not only does this take from the creative, but it poses a risk of homogeneity in the entertainment space. AI doesn’t know what it feels like to fall in love, to grieve, to experience joy or heartbreak. It can mimic human language, but it cannot experience what it is to be human.
Where to Draw the Line
Lack of originality isn’t the only problem for AI assistant tools. It’s the overreliance on AI. AI may be able to produce endless amounts of content, but it will never replace the power of human creativity. The challenge, then, is finding the balance of taking advantage of this technology to enhance creative work without letting it overshadow the passion and originality that make art, well, art.
As this becomes a more pervasive issue, the question remains: should AI technology be allowed to enhance the human experience, or will it replace it altogether? It’s up to the entertainment industry to decide how much of a human touch it wants to see in the art people consume and, ultimately, create.
Variety Australia newsroom and editorial staff were not involved in the creation of this content.