Terminator Creator Joins an AI Board
Alex Weprin
John Wick, you say? That's cute. How about the motherfuckin' Terminator?
That's how I choose to read the news that Cameron is joining the board of Stability, which is the main competitor to Runway, which just a week ago made news for signing a deal with Lionsgate. In the race to work with Hollywood, Stability clearly decided they need to make a splash too.
Normally, I'm beyond skeptical of celebrities – sorry, Jim, I'm bucketing you in here just for a second – joining boards, but this actually seems like a legitimately big deal for two key reasons:
1) Cameron has been at the forefront of using technology in filmmaking for decades now
2) This immediately lends credibility to Stability for trying to work within Hollywood
To the latter point, while (new) Stability CEO Prem Akkaraju carries some of the gravitas and connections required to take this pitch to the industry thanks to his previous role as CEO of WETA, he was also taking over a company in Stability that was previously in peril and was surrounded by controversy – so much so that it made any OpenAI drama look quaint by comparison. When studios or talent see Cameron's name, they can rest, assured. Cameron, after all, was last seen and heard wondering if such technology would turn Terminator into a documentary.
Of course, that doesn't mean they'll be gung-ho to work with an AI company, but Cameron can at least ensure a serious conversation happens.
“I’ve spent my career seeking out emerging technologies that push the very boundaries of what’s possible, all in the service of telling incredible stories,” Cameron said in a statement. “I was at the forefront of CGI over three decades ago, and I’ve stayed on the cutting edge since. Now, the intersection of generative AI and CGI image creation is the next wave. The convergence of these two totally different engines of creation will unlock new ways for artists to tell stories in ways we could have never imagined. Stability AI is poised to lead this transformation. I’m delighted to collaborate with Sean, Prem, and the Stability AI team as they shape the future of all visual media.”
I think it's smart to connect AI directly to CGI. Again, Cameron was at the forefront there and now it's just as much a part of the Hollywood toolkit as anything else. That's the pitch he has to make to ease the concerns that AI is going to take all the jobs. If anything, the rise of CGI created more jobs in the industry.
"Sean", of course, is Sean Parker, who beyond being a character in a popular movie about his previous company, also has plenty of Hollywood connections. Not only was he on the board of WETA,1 he and Akkaraju co-founded a company that was an early mover in trying to bring theatrical movie releases into the living room. Stakeholders in that company include Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, J. J. Abrams, Martin Scorsese and yes, Mr. Middle Earth himself,2 Peter Jackson. Parker is the executive chairman of Stability now.
None of this guarantees that Hollywood starts to play nice with AI now. And they're undoubtedly right to be cautious about the technology in these early, chaotic days. But the wheels are clearly in motion now to legitimize the use of such technology is certain ways. Probably not Ballenciaga Terminator...3
M.G. Siegler
M.G. Siegler
1 A company which most recently has been doing all the effects work on Cameron's Avatar films, so you can understand the connection...
2 Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy of films is what put WETA on the map. So you're getting a sense of the overlap here...
3 But how about Redneck Titanic? Dark Fantasy Avatar? The Abyss in Berlin?