CISAC VP Ángeles González-Sinde calls for ethical rules on AI use in the film industry
CISAC Vice-President Ángeles González-Sinde passionately championed the responsible and ethical use of AI in the audiovisual sector during a UNESCO “Film Sector on the Frontlines” roundtable which discussed the profound impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) on the filmmaking industry.
The roundtable, organised by UNESCO at its Paris HQ on the 19th of October, convened a panel of enormous expertise in the industry who collectively illuminated the myriad benefits of AI in filmmaking and addressed the compelling challenges arising from its growing use.
CISAC Vice-President, film director and scriptwriter as well as former Culture Minister in Spain, González-Sinde said AI can bring great enhancements to the work of a film maker. But there is a huge concern over the threat this poses to the rights of creators because of the lack of a secure rights environment that identifies AI, protects the rights of the human creator and ensures that the human creator is paid.
“I feel very excited because this is a new tool and I have been waiting for decades for something that is more developed for me to write scripts than word processing programmes and typewriters. That said, I am very concerned that right now, if I try to use AI in my job, I do not have a guarantee that I am not plagiarising a colleague. When we are talking of artworks that are based on the use big data, it amounts to previous works whose authors have never consented and are not being compensated, and there is no transparency. Then it’s really risk for me as an author to use artificial intelligence.”
González-Sinde sees the impact of AI already being felt in the use of algorithms that are favouring mainstream popular works and risk diminishing cultural diversity. She voiced concern about AI's impact on diversity in storytelling, highlighting how algorithms, driven by audience preferences, often dictate which stories come to fruition and sideline those with lower predicted commercial appeal.
“I'm concerned about how algorithms are choosing stories that will remain for the future generations and also how what does not accommodate the mainstream or to the most popular narratives will not be made, and this is affecting the diversity of stories that are being told in the audiovisual…We may regret in the future that some stories were never told because we picked only the ones that were going to be blockbusters.”
CISAC’s VP warned of the impact of this on our learning of other cultures and ways of life. “Cinema is strategic to any country; films and audiovisual works in general are crucial in transmitting and conveying what we are, and how other people live, and what other people believe. We need to be able to have all stories, all kinds of stories from all corners of the world”.
Looking towards the future, González-Sinde stressed consent, compensation and transparency as essential prerequisites for ensuring ethical use of AI in the filmmaking industry. Creators need to be fairly remunerated for the use of their works, their informed consent secured and credits properly given.
González-Sinde and other panellists echoed the need for creators to adapt to the ever changing AI landscape and equip themselves with a deep understanding of their rights and how AI works. “I'm not afraid of being replaced by artificial intelligence.” González-Sinde said. “I am afraid of being replaced by another writer who knows how to use AI. We have to be open and trained, and unions and so forth have to give us the support to understand what AI is.”
The discussion concluded with all panellists sounding the urgency for policymakers to establish guidelines and craft regulations and frameworks that protect creators' rights and maintain a global level playing field.
AI is a tool that should serve humanity and not the other way round.