Short read: Brad Pitt vs Tom Cruise? No, it’s AI-generated fight that raises replacement fears in Hollywood

In our forthcoming book, “Breakpoint” we have provided several case studies of how AI is disrupting careers which until a year ago were thought to be impervious to disruption eg. attractive young people who appear as models in advertisements, lighting experts who work in the film industry, film directors. Last week Bytedance introduced new AI powered software which seems destined to profoundly disrupt the film & advertising industry. As per the Telegraph:

“A 15-second artificial intelligence (AI) video of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt engaged in a cinematic fistfight has highlighted how Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are shaping entertainment and forcing actors to face the threat of being digitally reproduced and cloned.

Seedance 2.0, developed by Chinese tech company ByteDance, produced the clip through a two-line text prompt and went viral before many could grapple whether such a fight actually took place, reported The New York Times.

Screenwriter Rhett Reese warned that AI could disrupt Hollywood’s production model and said that the realism of the AI clip sent a “cold shiver” up his spine…

Actors’ union SAG-AFTRA condemned using technology to reproduce performances without the consent of the actors being replicated. As far back as 2023, the union went on strike to promote the principle of “consent and compensation.”…

The controversy ignited the enquiry of actors as public commodities and frames a pivotal question in Hollywood labour negotiations: Who owns a performer’s face, voice and identity?”

If you want to read our other published material, please visit https://marcellus.in/blog/

Note: The above material is neither investment research, nor financial advice. Marcellus does not seek payment for or business from this publication in any shape or form. The information provided is intended for educational purposes only. Marcellus Investment Managers is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and is also an FME (Non-Retail) with the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) as a provider of Portfolio Management Services. Additionally, Marcellus is also registered with US Securities and Exchange Commission (“US SEC”) as an Investment Advisor.