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), theresa Google Pixel 8 phonecommercial in particular that never fails to bum me out.
The spot emphasizes the phones AI-powered editing tool that lets users manipulate pictures in all sorts of convincing ways.
The push is well timed.
You mightve noticed some hubbub around filmmaking and generative AI of late.
After all, movies use computer-generated imagery all the time (have you seen aMarvelfilm?
How did this push to develop these guidelines come around?
Could you tell me a little more about the fake archival you saw?
What are your thoughts on that sentiment?
But there are a lot of reasons why that would be difficult.
Theres also a lot of inaccuracies within that footage.
That material doesnt necessarily reflect the real demographics.
They dont reflect the human and environmental pillaging that happened during this time.
They dont reflect who was actually there and what their lives wouldve looked like.
Antell:One big thing about algorithmic bias is that its very hard to identify.
So those biases can be framed and wrestled with.
In contrast, synthetic media contains bias, but no known author.
It carries presumed authority, but it has no accountability.
Get a sense of what people wouldve worn and what things wouldve been like.
These details are the stuff of really good storytelling that help us relate to the subjects of our projects.
There are other creative ways to do it.
Antell:I think its too early to know.
But weve been seeing applications creep into other aspects of historical documentaries as well.
Jenkins:Andinto true crime.
Antell:The two big problems that the documentary industry has always faced are time and money.
Every doc producer is really squeezed.
This is very much at the heart of our thinking.
There are a lot of options out there.
it’s possible for you to watch a docudrama.
you could watch historical fiction.
Theres nothing wrong with that.
Those are great forms of media.
And people dont like to be deceived.
In those cases, trust is something thats quickly eroded and difficult to build back.
Jenkins:Again, were not trying to say people who use generative AI are bad.
But I think it speaks to the fact that were in a changing media- and documentary-funding landscape.
Tell me more about the current state of doc funding.
Antell:Were definitely seeing a contraction.
Theres less work being produced right now.
and theres a big glut of films right now being made but are not being purchased.
Jenkins:Honestly, not much yet, though weve beenfollowing the George Carlin story closely.
Theres a lot thats unknown right now.
There was a time when it was really controversial to use Photoshop to retouch a photograph, you know?
How are you thinking about the prospect of enforcing norms of accuracy and transparency around this stuff?
Streamers will have to rely on their legal departments to make some of these decisions.
In our guidelines, we talk about keeping track of what prompts and gen-AI tools you use.
This is a practical thing for insurance reasons, which is a bottom-line concern for everyone.
Its also going to be really interesting to see how the public responds.
Weve found that the documentary community is really hungry for guidelines.
Theres excitement around using generative AI.
Jenkins:I love archival documentary because it works at a human pace and a human scale.
I just really dont want that to be lost or misunderstood by this new technology.
