Visual AI Artist & Creator | Runway Creative Partner | Luma AI Creative Partner | Leonardo AI Creative Partner | Magnific VIP | Design & AI Educator |
Its not IF… Its WHEN ??
Producer (Unscripted) / Generative AI Consultant. Creative Technologist operating at the intersection of IRL and AI.
It’s been a busy couple of weeks in Hollywood, with Disney announcing a new technology head to oversee their adoption of AI, and Andreessen Horowitz backing Promise, an AI-focused entertainment studio. Showbusiness is about to become to be big business for the AI business! I’m often asked “where is this all headed?” so I thought I’d be bold and make some predictions about the next 12 months. If nothing else, it will be fun to look back on this post at the end of 2025 and see how wrong I was. ?? 1. New AI tech will continue to appear, with the goal of making creating AI footage even easier and with more control. The barrier to entry will continue to lower. 2. Open AI’s Sora will make an appearance soon. This will be the first AI video generation tool to go ‘mainstream’ - this is important, as industries will begin to sit up and take notice of the possibilities of generative video in a way they never did with Runway et al. 3. The studio proprietary models (such as Lionsgate’s-Runway hybrid) will begin to be put to use, allowing them to create previz and visuals in-house at unprecedented speed. This may signal a move to ‘rapid prototyping’ of studio films in a bid to ensure success at the box office. 4. Similarly, there is likely to be a wider adoption of previz by those who could previously not afford it. On the flip side, media clients may soon insist on previz before project sign-off. In the same way that a development project rarely gets over the line these days without a sizzle, films and shows may have to be ‘made’ before they’re made. 5. “AI-first studios”are already beginning to appear. Given the current financial crisis in traditional filmmaking, it is inevitable that we will see more of these. 6. For similar reason, within the next 12 months we will see TV production companies pivot to generative AI to create b-roll or use it as an alternative to re-shoots or pickups. The first companies to do this will be crucified. But it will become commonplace before long. 7. Generative AI skilled production “teams” will begin to emerge. We will move away from the ‘one man band’ mentality and see filmmakers with particular AI skillsets come together to make more collaborative projects. This will also lessen the need for directors to be technically proficient in AI - meaning we’ll see many more directors from traditional media exploring the possibilities offered by AI. 8. It’s also why it is unlikely that directors will be sidelined in the creative process - any kind of production requires a lead creative, regardless of how the footage is acquired. And people with that experience. 9. But, won’t the client/studio just do it all themselves? It’s unlikely - they’ve got enough on their plate. They don’t want to have to make the films too. I really wish I had a neat 10. What have I missed (good or bad)?