Disruption technology can destroy entre industries rendering once mighty corporations to the graveyards. Artificial Intelligence has the capacity to eliminate all in its path. The race to harness the power of this new system is as intense as it is urgent. China shocked the world with a low-cost AI system called DeepSeek. Now the Middle Kingdom produced another tsunami to the global creative shores, Deepdance. A generative AI tool capable of realistic images. “I hate to say it. It’s likely over for us”, said screenplay writer Rhett Resse.
ByteDance launched the new tech last week, flooding social media with videos of altered Hollywood stars and performers in imagined scenes. The Motion Picture Association, along film studios sent cease and desist letters sighting copyright infringements. Of course, the Chinese company knew the legal playbook. Legalities were not a pressing concern as getting the attention. The sole purpose of this tactic was a calling card announcement, the arrival of something big and threatening. The film industry’s backlash was harsh but holding back the ocean with a broom is a fool’s task.
The usual statement from Bytedance regarding copyright safeguards etc, was released by the company. Surely, the press agents and legals department could barely hold a straight face while sending out the assuring emails of compliance.
The new reality, old media is dead. With some quick clips, the established ways of production could be over faster than expected. The cinematic potential is infinite. Suddenly, the resources of an entire studio could be in the hands of an imaginative fifteen-year-old. After finishing math homework, a James Cameron clone has the capability of producing Avatar 5 at his bedroom desk.
Certainly, every studio executive in Hollywood called a therapist for an emergency appointment. All actors not in an MCU should send a CV to Starbucks before the coffee chain goes automated. As the film industry continues to reel from strikes, Covid, fires, dwindling ticket sales, a new threat has emerged. The business is being punched on all sides: the economics know longer add up, technology has shifted, viewer habits have been redirected to scrolling. Content consumption is based on platform algorithms, not quality or fandom.
Silicon Valley thought it would control the AI path while the old gatekeepers in Tinseltown would absorb the new tech, all would be good. Little did they understand, technology innovation is no longer a Western Domain, the world caught up. What’s more, the new cutting-edge players at the table are playing by different rules.