Director Gareth Edwards Share Thoughts on AI
Gareth Edwards, director of the upcoming AI-centered film ‘The Creator’, proposes a more nuanced perspective on AI both in the movie and in reality.
Gareth Edwards, known for hits such as ‘Godzilla’ (2014) and ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ (2016), took a brave move with an ambitious and original science-fiction, ‘The Creator’. Edwards found himself in a rather solitary role in promoting this newest movie, due to the ongoing actors’ strike, leaving cast members such as John David Washington, Gemma Chan, Allison Janney, and Ken Watanabe absent from the film's promotions. Describing the experience, Edwards said, “I’m like a groom in an empty church at my own wedding. It’s very surreal.” Amplifying the uncanniness of the situation is the film's theme: artificial intelligence (AI).
Contrary to many AI-centered films that often paint a menacing image of technology, ‘The Creator’ opts for a more neutral perspective. Edwards' futuristic narrative has struck a chord in an industry now deep in contemplation about the impacts of AI's swift advancements. While the director initially approached the theme with a sense of distant wonder when he started writing in 2018, the real-world advancements in AI during the film’s production gave the subject an unexpected immediacy today.
Although rapid technological shifts have led to anxieties about AI displacing jobs or posing threats to humanity, Edwards challenges these perceptions, asserting that from the AI's perspective, humanity could be perceived as the villain, seeking to subjugate and exploit AI.
He understands the concerns among creative professionals, but he also recognizes and reminds us that the guilds are not trying to ban AI completely, but merely to protect their work and rights. Edwards talked about his experience with ChatGPT, where he asked what could happen in the film after inputting the first sequence, and one of the four options provided by ChatGPT was exactly what he had planned. He joked, “I don’t know if that implies that ChatGPT is brilliant or that I’m a terrible writer. But it was unnerving.” The intersection of technology and entertainment will continue to develop, and it will be a challenge for everyone to navigate, but the director remains optimistic about the transformative power of AI, also secretly hoping that it could democratize the filmmaking process.
In an era where AI tools like ChatGPT can provide uncanny insights, filmmakers also have the task of weaving narratives that challenge, educate, and entertain, considering the power of media entertainment productions that can shape people’s understanding and perception of AI technologies. To Edwards, perhaps the most significant takeaway from this project is the universality of perspective. "I think all the problems in the world... it’s usually because one group of people are not seeing another group of people’s point of view and vice versa," he said, emphasizing the need for understanding, whether addressing AI or human conflicts.