While The Terminator movies are all about the dangers of artificial intelligence, James Cameron seems to have forgotten the very lesson in his film, as he is now embracing AI by joining the board of directors of Stability AI. Founded in 2019, Stability AI is known for its text-to-image generator called Stable Diffusion and its text-to-audio web tool, Stable Audio, which have both become major topics of conversation in the film industry. Stability AI’s CEO is Prem Akkaraju, who was previously the CEO of visual effects company WETA Digital, which worked with Cameron on Avatar. Another high-profile name who recently joined Stability AI as an executive chairman is Sean Parker, the founder of Napster and former president of Facebook (played by Justin Timberlake in The Social Network).
IndieWire reports that James Cameron is being brought in with the hope of providing an artist perspective to the company that will assist Stability AI in its mission to transform visual media as outlined by Sean Parker, who said, “James Cameron is a legend, both for his artistic vision as a filmmaker and his role as a pioneering technologist. Having an artist of his caliber with a seat at the table marks the start of a new chapter for Stability AI. We’re incredibly excited by the limitless potential for creative collaboration between generative media platforms and the artistic community.”
Meanwhile, Prem Akkaraju spoke about how Cameron’s embrace of AI is fitting for the man who pioneered CGI and 3D and thinks his involvement endorses the field of AI in a big way. He said:
“James Cameron lives in the future and waits for the rest of us to catch up. Stability AI’s mission is to transform visual media for the next century by giving creators a full stack AI pipeline to bring their ideas to life. We have an unmatched advantage to achieve this goal with a technological and creative visionary like James at the highest levels of our company. This is not only a monumental statement for Stability AI, but the AI industry overall.”
As for Cameron, the man who warned about the dangers of AI back in 1984 with The Terminator, and is looking to revive the franchise, had this to say about his decision, citing his history of embracing CGI back for Terminator 2: Judgement Day to the technical innovations of Avatar.
“I’ve spent my career seeking out emerging technologies that push the very boundaries of what’s possible, all in the service of telling incredible stories. I was at the forefront of CGI over three decades ago, and I’ve stayed on the cutting edge since. Now, the intersection of generative AI and CGI image creation is the next wave. The convergence of these two totally different engines of creation will unlock new ways for artists to tell stories in ways we could have never imagined. Stability AI is poised to lead this transformation. I’m delighted to collaborate with Sean, Prem, and the Stability AI team as they shape the future of all visual media.”
Hollywood’s Slow and Dangerous Embrace of AI
AI has become a hot topic of discussion in filmmaking over the past couple of years. Both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strikes in 2023 had the fear of AI at the heart of the negotiations. Despite the numerous flubs the AI-generated material creates and the criticisms productions like Late Night with the Devil and Civil War received for using them, it appears more and more industry players are not only accepting of the technology but embracing it, despite the moral, ethical, and artistic merits against it. Andy Serkis, best known for pioneering motion capture, spoke about wanting to work on a new project with AI characters. Star Natasha Lyonne and Blue Beetle director Angel Manuel Soto joined Late Night Labs, an AI film and animation studio, as advisors. Although many have spoken out against AI, Guillermo del Toro responded perfectly, saying, “It can do a semi-compelling screensaver.”
James Cameron is a cinematic pioneer, one who dared to do the impossible with CGI in Terminator 2: Judgement Day, as well as handling the massive productions of both Titanic and Avatar, films that everyone was convinced would flop before becoming the highest-grossing movies of all time. General wisdom says never to bet against Cameron, but one can’t help but feel like even after all his successes, he can still be wrong. He wasn’t wrong about people wanting Avatar sequels, but he is incorrect about AI being a future beneficial tool because AI-generated images will only look to replace the artists who helped bring to life worlds like Pandora. If Avatar 4 is brought to life using AI assets along with CGI, it seems less appealing than watching Avatar: The Way of Water and being amazed at how the human visual effects artists created the impossible.