Artificial intelligence: the filmmaker’s nightmare

So here I go again with my opinionated views, this time on the effects of artificial intelligence. I will get straight to the point; artificial intelligence creates more issues than it’s going to solve. It will be a new indoctrination of upcoming filmmakers to know no other way, and that, for me, is really scary.

I understand that it is assisting the indie and mainstream film industry, especially with pre-production, special effects, and editing. However, it also creates issues for writers, special effects, makeup artists, and voice-over actors, whose craft has been nearly destroyed overnight. My following warning is for news readers, future talk show hosts, and any media-facing public personnel, along with their accompanying crew. This is scary. Many in the industry have voiced concerns about job displacement. I agree, and they should be concerned. However, this has already gone further in our everyday life, virtually unnoticed and under the guise of convenience, I am talking about supermarket self-scanners. What does this have to do with the film industry? I hear you cry. Well, consider this: these machines don't pay tax or national insurance, and they disrupt human interaction. I know that this is financially beneficial for the supermarkets, but it’s not reflected in food prices; instead, it appears as dividends to shareholders. It is the first shot at humanity. So, with voice-over work being slowly killed off, film crews, actors, food companies, and other industries connected to the film industry are also at risk. How does this contribute to the financial systems of the world, allowing public services to run in a system already close to breaking point? Not only that, but all mainstream political parties are talking about mental health issues being better if people are working, for which I feel there is some truth in that. However, how does that work if jobs have been taken by artificial intelligence? I am not aiming my crosshairs at the youth of today, as they have grown up with this new age technology. However, in my opinion, they are being manipulated into believing that artificial intelligence is the best step forward. Like most things, it all seems great at first. We at White Raven Films have used artificial intelligence in our latest films, and the hypocrisy has personally touched me in discussing this. However, the more you use it, the more you realise the damage it is doing. We have seen a vision of the future of artificial intelligence in the film industry develop rapidly. I want to point out how vital film festivals are to indie filmmakers and the value they provide to us all, including networking, friendships, and collaborations. A vision of this future was already given to us when COVID stopped the world from any personal interaction and led to the creation of online festivals; we have been warned.

My case in point is social media; I have recently become so disillusioned with the stupidity of people choosing sides without taking into account the humanity of all sides of a viewpoint that we at white raven have been pushed to delete our Instagram and Twitter/ X accounts. 

We were just about to push the delete button on our Facebook account when the haunting reality dawned on us that we would have little to no means of communicating our films out to the broader world. My point is that the social media monster has crept upon us and captured us in its grip. This has left us with no way out other than to sever our communication with the world. This, in turn, would kill us as filmmakers, just as artificial intelligence will.

We are sold a dream that we can all use, but in reality, we can only use a version they want us to use. The sad fact is that artificial intelligence benefits the human race in some ways, and we must appreciate this. But once you polish away the good that artificial intelligence does, it leaves us with much more reliance, intrusiveness and sadness in its wake. We could never use the names Sony, Apple, or Coca-Cola, or their intellectual property, due to copyright infringements. Yet, your face and voice, which are your human intellectual rights, can be harvested along with basic information. This sounds like the death knell for the film industry and, in the long term, for humanity in one foul swoop. This will, of course, take time, but remember it has only taken 20 years for Facebook and YouTube to change our world. I would guess artificial intelligence would do it in half that time. Hold on to your hats, folks, it’s going to get rough.

Bazz Hancher

12/10/2025