Delaney Hibbits
Arts and Entertainment Editor
Artificial intelligence, AI, has been society’s latest concern regarding fake images, plagiarism and loss of employment.
High schools and universities have had to implement new policies to try and prevent students from using ChatGPT. X has recently had issues with inappropriate AI-generated images being shared on the platform. Individuals are being offered jobs to help train artificial intelligence who will then take over the position in question.
Careers in the entertainment field seemed to be untouchable until recently when AI began to pose a threat in Hollywood. This artificial intelligence is replacing sound engineers, voice actors, concept artists and regular employees. This type of technology could soon be used for more than movie CGI.
Alongside The Concept Art Association and The Animation Guild, CVL Economics released a study surveying 300 entertainment-industry leaders to find answers regarding the use and abilities of AI in Hollywood. According to the research, this kind of intelligence will affect 204,000 entertainment jobs across the country within three years. 62,000 of those jobs are concentrated in California alone.
Nicole Hendrix, the founder of The Concept Art Association, openly discusses the problems with using AI instead of actual employees. She claims “concept artists are increasingly being asked to ‘clean up’ AI-generated works by studios” while the studios are “lowering their billed hours and the pool of available jobs.” Workers are not being compensated properly for fixing what AI is ruining.
Movies and television shows are not the only jobs at risk. Careers in the music industry are also in danger with AI learning about production and design work. 50% of surveyed participants believe AI will dismiss all sound designers within the next three years. Furthermore, the study’s results prove that “39% [of participants] believed GenAI would be generating music mixes and masters by 2026.”
In November 2023, X saw an example of AI pushing itself into the music industry. Anna Indiana is an AI singer-songwriter who uploaded a video of “her” first song “Betrayed by This Town.” Everything from the key, chords, lyrics, and singing is generated by artificial intelligence.
Whether you dislike the song and think AI failed, that video had been uploaded around a year after the release of ChatGPT. It only took a year for AI to create a fake persona, write a song, and sing it. Actual singers in the industry release music when they see fit which could be a month or a year.
Overall, AI is a technological advancement that society is going to have to learn to accept. It started with products like Siri and Alexa, and it has grown into a website that will write papers for students. AI is learning data entry, customer service, and other key skills relevant to employment.
Entertainment, a seemingly safe industry, will also be at risk when it comes to using AI for more than graphics. Artificial intelligence could work in sound engineering, visual designing and voice acting. There are already examples of AI trying to find a path in the music industry with AI artists like Anna Indiana.
Artificial intelligence is intriguing, helpful and clear proof of development. However, it is being used for cheating and is going to cause many people to go out of work. Is AI the future? How far will these engineers let this technology go? Is there a goal?
