This week, we bring you some news and controversy surrounding some uses of generative AI in the film industry, including a trailer for a defunct James Bond movie starring Margot Robbie.
ANDREW LIMBONG, HOST:
Netflix's new true crime documentary “What Jennifer Did” tells the story of a young Canadian woman caught in a murder-for-hire plot against her parents in 2010.
(SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY “THAT JENNIFER DID”)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: It was an unimaginable situation.
LIMBONG: There has been some criticism, not because the film is too gruesome, but because people suspect that the filmmakers used generative AI in the document. This is just one of a few articles about AI in film production that have gone viral this week. Here, NPR's Chloe Beltman unpacks it all. Hey Chloe.
CHLOE BELTMAN, BYLINE: Hello, Andrew.
Lin Bong: Okay. So how is AI allegedly used in this documentary, What Jennifer Did? And why are people so upset about it?
BELTSMAN: Well, social media is going wild over what appears to be an AI-generated or manipulated photo of Jennifer Pan, the young woman at the center of the film. She is currently serving a life sentence for the murders that killed her mother and seriously injured her father. So, around the 30 minute mark of her in the movie, when her friend from high school, Nam She In (ph), describes her character in Pan, the image appears.
(SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY “THAT JENNIFER DID”)
NAM YIN: Jennifer, you know, was bubbly, happy, confident and very genuine.
VELTMAN: His words were accompanied by a series of images showing a young and energetic Pan. But a closer look reveals a strange flaw. For example, the bread fingers are all falling apart. Human hands are also very difficult to generate and edit, so they can be a sign that an image has been manipulated. As such, people on social media are calling the image manipulation allegations shameful, with one Reddit user saying, “It's not true that it distorts the facts and makes fun of the victims. It devalues ​​crime and betrays the entire concept.”
LIMBONG: What have you heard from Netflix and the filmmakers?
BELTSMAN: Well, NPR reached out to Netflix for comment, and they didn't want to talk about it. However, the film's executive producer Jeremy Grimaldi denied using AI in an interview with the Toronto Star published Friday. However, he admitted to using photo editing software.
LIMBONG: What's all the fuss here? Let's just take him at his word and say he just used photo editing software. Or even if he were using his AI, wouldn't this be something like Tomaito(ph) or Tomato(ph)?
Veltman: Well, Andrew, with the rise of AI, the public is becoming more aware of suspicious images in general. Consider the angry reaction to a doctored family photo of Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, a few weeks ago. So I spoke to documentary-making veteran Jennifer Petrucelli about why people react so strongly to this kind of thing.
Jennifer Petruccelli: People generally don't like to be fooled. As you know, in cases where transparency is not ensured, there is a backlash.
BELTSMAN: Petrucelli is part of a group called the Archive Producers Alliance, which released draft guidelines this week on how documentary filmmakers can ethically work with AI.
Petrucelli: Because when you sit down and watch a documentary, you make certain assumptions about what you're watching. What matters is that what you see is true.
BELTSMAN: And Petrucelli's group and others are urging filmmakers to pay special attention to accuracy and transparency when using AI and documentary films.
Lin Bong: Okay. As I said before, this is just one of several different AIs in the movie's story. What else is there?
Petrucelli: Yes. There's a few things going on, Andrew. The production company A24 released a poster campaign on social media to promote their latest film, “Civil War,'' which has been attracting a lot of attention. A series of glossy images shows an apocalyptic scene of a besieged American city. That means a building on fire in Chicago, a destroyed street in Miami, and armed soldiers emerging from a lake in San Francisco.
LIMBONG: Look, this is the kind of scene you would expect to see in a fictional apocalyptic movie, right? How is it different from what we've seen in CGI for years?
Veltman: Well, people are upset for a number of reasons. This means that none of the scenes in the poster are in the actual movie, which is causing a bit of confusion.
Linbong: Yeah.
Veltman: Yeah, it's a little frustrating. And two, many people are unhappy with the fact that the image may have been created by AI. People are wondering why this big, expensive Hollywood movie is using machines instead of human artists to create his PR campaign. It's one of his big things. Also, again, people just don't like to be pigeonholed into images that look weird and off. It's that uncanny valley feeling that no one likes.
However, it's difficult to be sure that the image was actually created using AI. NPR contacted A24 but did not receive a response. Most of the news outlets that covered this matter referenced the Hollywood Reporter article. Anonymous sources are cited as evidence of the use of AI, which is admittedly a bit dubious. But that aside, some of these posters do look weird, Andrew. For example, the positions of the buildings in the Chicago image are slightly off. And on the Miami poster he is depicted with a strange car with three doors.
LIMBONG: (Laughter) The AI ​​generally doesn't fully understand that it's two or four, right?
Beltmann: Yeah. That is correct. Hands and doors, apparently very difficult.
Lin Bong: Okay. So I spent a few minutes this week quite fascinated by a fake James Bond movie trailer. Could you tell me more about that?
Beltmann: Yeah. This is fun. So a video creator called KH Studio used AI to create this speculative trailer for a Bond movie that will probably never be made. Henry Cavill stars as 007, a first for the quintessentially British special agent who speaks with an American accent.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
AI-generated voice #1: (As 007) Why do you think this is my first time?
Veltman: And Margot Robbie plays his lover.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
AI-generated voice #2: (As character) Hello, James Bond.
Beltmann: It spread quickly. Millions of people have watched and responded positively to this video since it was released a few days ago.
LIMBONG: Now, what's the difference here? I mean, why were people angry about other things and calm about this?
Veltman: It's basically a question of transparency. In other words, Video Maker is completely transparent. YouTube has a clear statement accompanying the trailer that it was created with AI, purely for entertainment. Ah, but there have been a lot of rumors lately about who will be playing the next James Bond. Many fans would like Henry Cavill to play the role. So I think people enjoy imagining that actor has already been cast. And of course, Margot Robbie's presence in the film is a lovely act of wishful thinking.
LIMBONG: NPR's Chloe Beltman. Chloe, thank you so much.
Veltman: I'm very happy, Andrew.
Copyright © 2024 NPR. All rights reserved. For more information, please visit our website's Terms of Use and Permissions page at www.npr.org.
NPR transcripts are produced by NPR contractors on short notice deadlines. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The reliable recording of NPR's programming is the audio recording.