The week's developments on the intersection of AI and creative content | 30.01.24

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This week AI-love is in the air with Sundance's 'Love Me', starring Kristen Stewart, and sci-fi short 'Safe Space’ (check out our ‘In case you missed it’ section) taking us into the complex world of tech and artificial emotions. These films beg the burning question: What can AI teach us about love? 

Conversely, what can it teach us about hate? Following a heated debate over AI, an audience member’s forced removal and a mass exodus from a Sundance screening, it seems that despite its best efforts, AI still remains a source of contention in the entertainment industry. 

Meanwhile, amidst deepfake controversies like the fake Biden robocall and AFM strikes, gen-AI companies are securing millions in investment. How should we navigate the profitable yet ethically complex gen-AI landscape?

We cover these stories, plus the George Carlin lawsuit, Harold Cohen's AI-art legacy, and the top AI tools reshaping the gaming industry.

— Charlie and the Research and Intelligence Team

🚀P.S. You can now register your interest for CogX Festival LA 6-9 May, where we’ll be talking all things AI, Impact, and Transformational Tech!

Cinema and Industry

💥AI caused mass walkout at the Sundance Film Festival: A heated debate over AI, patriarchy and racism occurred during a 'Being (The Digital Griot)' screening. The incident resulted in an audience member’s removal — mass walkouts ensued. 

🏆Is Netflix a benevolent dictator? Netflix, the Streaming King is seeking cooperation with rival studios, embraces advertising, and explores bundling options. Is this an extended olive branch? Or a strategic plot to secure its industry dominance? 

🤖Kristen Stewart stars in surreal AI romance at Sundance: 'Love Me' explores the love and loneliness of AI entities as they bond and mimic humanity's behaviour in a post-human world, offering a unique perspective on human existence through the eyes of AI. 

🎙️George Carlin's estate sues AI comedy special creators. The special ‘George Carlin: I’m Glad I’m Dead” garnered viral attention for its controversial replication of the late comedian's voice and humour. The lawsuit seeks the removal of the special and unspecified damages.

Arts and Entertainment

🎵Hollywood Musicians begin bargaining over AI. The American Federation of Musicians is aiming for streaming residuals and AI safeguards, emphasising the need for consent, compensation, and credit in an increasingly automated world. 

💰AI art secures millions amidst fake Biden robocall controversy. Voice cloning tech ElevenLabs raised $80 million in its recent Series B round, while the AI photography app Artisse secured $6.7 million in a seed round. Despite misinformation concerns, is deepfake tech now profitable?

🎨Harold Cohen's AI art legacy. Cohen, the world’s first AI artist, challenged computer creativity in the 1960s. His 'AARON' software laid the foundations for today's AI art, raising questions of algorithmic creative autonomy, and continues to influence contemporary artists. 

🎮Top 10 AI game-generators of 2024: Standouts include Scenario’s style-precise game art, Promethean AI's automated 3D worlds and Ludo.ai's adaptive gameplay, which showcase gaming's evolving innovation, and promise immersive and efficient experiences for gamers.

In case you missed it

Sci-fi short "Safe Space," portrays a sentient pleasure AI and a human, as they grapple with love and power — can love be quantified?

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🚀 Remember to register your interest for CogX Festival LA 6-9 May!