Artists in every medium are grappling with the prospects of AI in their field. Some musicians, actors, and filmmakers have been staunchly against it. They’ll argue that artificial intelligence can’t replace the pure, full expression of a human being.
Meanwhile, someone like Timbaland or Harmony Korine might vouch for using AI as a tool or telling audiences to get with the times already. Now, we can add Steven Soderbergh to the list of pro-AI artists. However, it’s his defense of the medium and how he uses it that’ll definitely raise some eyebrows.
In an interview with Deadline, Soderbergh talked about his documentary on John Lennon. There, he detailed moments where Lennon and Yoko Ono were telling stories, but there was little in the way of visual language to aid the process. Insert Meta. They conveniently needed someone to try out their new video generative tools anyway. As a result, Steven Soderbergh became the perfect test subject for their technology.
Steven Soderbergh Explains the ‘Pro-Choice’ Outlook on Using AI
But why AI? Doesn’t he understand any of the concerns people have? The Ocean’s Eleven director tries to distinguish the ways in which it’s being used. “There’s the AI that is part of the informational ecosystem of the world and affects things like war, politics, and culture. And then there’s the AI that exists in a creative context that is used as a tool, which also can affect culture. Then, within that, there are two ways of using it,” Steven Soderbergh explained.
“There’s a way of using AI in which your intention is to fool somebody or manipulate them, to create an image that you want them to think is real. And then there’s a use, which is what we’re doing in the documentary, where it’s obvious that it is AI and that it is being used essentially in the way that you would use VFX or CGI or any sort of non-photographic technology.”
Then, Steven Soderbergh detailed different sequences in which he used the assistance of AI to complete them. But rather than shoot for realism, he aims for utter ridiculousness. One sequence imagines babies in ridiculous 60s outfits, the other utilizes cavemen in another story John Lennon tells.
‘John Lennon: The Last Interview’ does not yet have an announced release date
In the end, Soderbergh stressed he’s not the kind of person to use it in earnest. “I think people, when they heard about this project and that I was using AI tech, jumped to the absolute worst conclusion, which is, ‘He’s going to try and bring John Lennon back to life.’ And all I can say is, have we met? Do I look like somebody that would do that? So it’s a little hard to talk about also because I feel once you’ve seen the movie, you go, ‘Oh, of course,’ Steven Soderbergh said.
Lastly, in a bit of bizarre verbiage, he described himself as “pro-choice” when it comes to AI. He believed he should investigate artificial intelligence before determining its potential as a threat. Most of all, though, Steven Soderbergh recalled speaking with John Lennon’s son Sean and asking if the old Beatle would’ve wanted to experiment with it. Admittedly, the answer was yes.
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