Tyler Perry has put an $800m (£630m) expansion of his Atlanta studio complex on hold after the release of OpenAI’s video generator Sora, citing concerns that “many jobs” in the film industry could be replaced by artificial intelligence.
The American film and television mogul had planned to add 12 soundstages to his studio, but he indefinitely paused those plans after witnessing a demonstration of Sora and its “shocking” capabilities. He stated that the expansion had been canceled.
“Due to what Sora and I are seeing, all of that is currently and indefinitely on hold,” Perry said in a statement in an interview with Hollywood Reporter. “I’ve been hearing about this for about a year now, but I didn’t know until I saw a demonstration of how it would work recently. It’s mind-blowing to me.”
The AI tool, Sora, was launched on February 15 and caused widespread concern with its ability to create one minute of realistic footage from a simple text prompt.
Perry, known for films such as the Madea series, mentioned that Sora’s capabilities eliminate the need for real-world locations or physical sets. He described it as a shocking development.
A demo published by OpenAI showcases Sora’s ability to generate photorealistic scenes in response to text prompts, including a “beautiful snowy Tokyo city, with gorgeous cherry blossom petals flying in the wind along with snowflakes.”
Perry expressed concerns about the potential job impact across the film industry, including actors, editors, sound specialists, and transport crews.
He stated, “I’m very concerned that there will be a lot of job losses in the near future. I really, really feel that.”
Perry mentioned a direct example of construction crews and contractors refusing to work on a planned studio expansion due to the belief that it was unnecessary. He also noted that he had used AI in two recent films to age his face and avoid lengthy makeup sessions.
Concerns about the impact of AI on jobs have been a focal point of recent Hollywood strikes, and peace agreements that ended these conflicts include provisions against the use of the technology.
However, Perry emphasized the need for a “whole-of-industry” approach to protect jobs, stating, “I think everyone needs to be involved.”
Source: www.theguardian.com
