Survey on generative AI highlights the growing impact of new technologies on creative careers, and an urgent need for ethical development that works within copyright laws

Throughout January 2024, we ran a survey of our 12,500 members and other authors, receiving nearly 800 responses on respondents’ experiences of generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems, and their views and concerns about the future impact on creative careers.

The findings demonstrate not only the deep uncertainty about the future role of generative AI in the profession, but also the impact it is already having on careers and livelihoods. — Read More

As generative artificial intelligence marches on the entertainment industry, Hollywood is taking stock of the tech and its potential to be incorporated into the filmmaking process. No tool has piqued the town’s interest more than OpenAI’s Sora, which was unveiled in February as capable of creating hyperrealistic clips in response to a text prompt of just a couple of sentences. In recent days, the Sam Altman-led firm released a series of videos from beta testers who are providing feedback to improve the tech. The Hollywood Reporter spoke with some of those Sora testers about what it can, and can’t, really do.

… [Walter] Woodman [of Shy Kids, a Toronto-based production company,] says he considers Sora another tool in his arsenal, similar to Adobe After Effects or Premiere. “It’s something where you bring your energy and your talents and you work with it to make something,” he explains. “There’s a lot of hot air about just how powerful this is and how this is going to replace everything and how we don’t need to do anything. That’s really undervaluing what a story is and what the components of a story are and what the role of storytellers is.” — Read More

Some of the most important meetings in Hollywood history will take place in the coming week, as OpenAI hits Hollywood to show the potential of its “Sora” software to studios, talent agencies, and media executives.

Bloomberg is reporting that OpenAI wants more filmmakers to become familiar with Sora, the text-to-video generator that potentially could upend the way movies are made.

Producer Tyler Perry has already seen it in action, and was so impressed that he put on hold plans for an $800 million studio expansion in his Atlanta base. — Read More

Today we are releasing Stable Video 3D (SV3D), a generative model based on Stable Video Diffusion, advancing the field of 3D technology and delivering greatly improved quality and view-consistency.

This release features two variants: SV3D_u and SV3D_p. SV3D_u generates orbital videos based on single image inputs without camera conditioning. SV3D_p extends the capability by accommodating both single images and orbital views, allowing for the creation of 3D video along specified camera paths. 

Stable Video 3D can be used now for commercial purposes with a Stability AI Membership. For non-commercial use, you can download the model weights on Hugging Face and view our research paper here. — Read More

Pika Labs has finally taken its Pika 1.0 artificial intelligence generative video model out of the waitlist. It is currently free for anyone to sign up and try out. 

The AI video model announced earlier this month has been slowly rolling out, with the company using feedback from early users to improve the service before making it widely available. — Read More

And now adds sound!

Thirteen years ago, as an assignment for a journalism class, I wrote a stupid short story about a man who eats luxury cat food. This morning, I sat and watched as a generative AI platform called Lore Machine brought my weird words to life.

I fed my story into a text box and got this message: “We are identifying scenes, locations, and characters as well as vibes. This process can take up to 2 minutes.” Lore Machine analyzed the text, extracted descriptions of the characters and locations mentioned, and then handed those bits of information off to an image-generation model. An illustrated storyboard popped up on the screen. As I clicked through vivid comic-book renderings of my half-forgotten characters, my heart was pounding. — Read More

OpenAI’s recent reveal of its stunning generative model Sora pushed the envelope of what’s possible with text-to-video. Now Google DeepMind brings us text-to-video games.

The new model, called Genie, can take a short description, a hand-drawn sketch, or a photo and turn it into a playable video game in the style of classic 2D platformers like Super Mario Bros. But don’t expect anything fast-paced. The games run at one frame per second, versus the typical 30 to 60 frames per second of most modern games. — Read More

Welcome to the latest edition of my “AHHH!!! This new, scary AI tools was just released!!! Is everything coming to come to an end!?!?” newsletter. It’s my semi-regular update where I dive into the latest buzz from my social media universe and tell you that everything is going to be ok.

As someone who curates my social media feeds to highlight the joy and creativity in the world, my interests range from traditional and 3D art, to virtual/augmented reality, film, distance running, ceramics, and the Chicago Bears. This approach ensures my online experience is filled with inspiring artwork, fascinating insights, and the occasional homage to Walter Payton, inarguably the greatest running back of all time.

However, the digital tranquility of my social media landscape was recently disrupted by a major development: the release of OpenAI’s Sora, a groundbreaking text-to-video tool. Discussions around Sora spiraled into fears of it potentially overturning the entire film and creative industries. — Read More