Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos has expressed his belief that artificial intelligence (AI) will not be able to replace talented individuals in the film industry, such as actors and writers, at least for now. Sarandos, 59, stated that an AI program will never be able to surpass human creativity in writing a screenplay.
Sarandos’ comments come at a time when major tech companies are in a race to develop highly intelligent AI systems that can outperform humans in lucrative industries. In the film industry, the emergence of text-to-video AI models like OpenAI’s Sora has left many people concerned about the possibility of losing their jobs to this technology.
During an interview with The New York Times, Sarandos, who has been with Netflix for 24 years and became co-CEO in 2020, alongside company founder Reed Hastings, expressed his skepticism about AI’s ability to match human creativity. He stated, “I don’t believe that an AI program is going to write a better screenplay than a great writer, or is going to replace a great performance, or that we won’t be able to tell the difference.”
Sarandos compared the potential impact of AI on the entertainment industry to past technological advancements, such as the introduction of home video. He noted that initially, there was resistance from studios to license movies for television, but eventually, the industry adapted and grew. Sarandos believes that AI will follow a similar trajectory.
AI has been a contentious issue in Hollywood, leading to a five-month strike by creatives last year. Writers were concerned about the possibility of AI taking over their jobs, while actors feared being replaced by the technology on set. The strike concluded with an agreement between studio owners and workers, but concerns about the impact of AI on the film ecosystem persist.
Filmmaker Tyler Perry halted the $800 million expansion of his studio in Atlanta due to concerns about OpenAI’s Sora, which can generate “realistic” videos from text prompts. Perry expressed serious concerns about the potential loss of jobs in the movie industry, including those of actors, editors, sound specialists, and transporters.
Perry is not alone in raising concerns about AI’s impact on employment. Billionaire Elon Musk recently stated at a tech conference that in the future, “probably none of us will have a job” because of AI. The International Monetary Fund has also warned that AI threatens 60% of jobs in high-income nations, 40% in emerging economies, and 26% in low-income countries.
While the future implications of AI remain uncertain, Sarandos remains confident that the film industry will adapt and capitalize on technological advancements, just as it has done in the past.
Source: Pixabay
