HAL 9000 Strikes Back? AI in Filmmaking and New Media Festivals

Abstract

This article focuses on the future of new media festivals in the age of an increasing AI presence in every art form. I have thought that the best means of research, in this case, would be to address the changes happening in cinema by directly talking about them with two of the earliest AI search engines, ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot. As such, this article acts as independent research, while essentially being a dialogue with a robotic conversational partner. In this format, I follow the increasing transformation of art forms due to the huge impact AI is having on society, while also taking into consideration the future of filmmaking, film festivals and distribution. I will also address the development of AI engines, which have reached the point where they can generate highly realistic short clips, which are virtually indistinguishable from filmed footage. In the end, I felt the need for a glimpse into the future – which my faithful AI companion was kind enough to share with the world.