Avengers: Endgame director predicts AI will be able to generate movies in two years’ time

"In 10 years you’ll go: 'I don't know how I lived without this stuff.'"

Joe Russo - co-director of Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Infinity War - has predicted that artificial intelligence will be able to generate movies in just two years' time. The filmmaker, also known for making Captain America: The Winter Soldier and The Gray Man, made the comments during a panel at a film festival which was moderated by Collider's Steve Weintraub. One of the topics of the discussion was contemporary storytelling, with Russo being asked about the possible impact of AI on cinema. As reported by Collider, Russo - who is on the board of a few artificial companies - described the question as "mind-bending", stating that the technology could be used to "engineer" and "change" storytelling. Going into more depth, he explained:

"You could walk into your house and save the AI on your streaming platform. 'Hey, I want a movie starring my photoreal avatar and Marilyn Monroe's photoreal avatar. I want it to be a rom-com because I've had a rough day,' and it renders a very competent story with dialogue that mimics your voice. It mimics your voice, and suddenly now you have a rom-com starring you that's 90 minutes long. So you can curate your story specifically to you."

Asked then how many years he thinks it will be before AI can actually create a movie, Russo responded: "Two years?"

Joe Russo on AI generated movies

During the panel, the filmmaker was also quizzed about the potential abuse of the technology, to which he said: "Certainly in the nascent stages, yeah, that is a critical issue.

"There are AI companies that are developing AI to protect you from AI. And unfortunately, we're in that world, and you will need an AI in your life because whether we want to see it developed or not, people who are not friendly to us may develop it anyways. So, we're going to be in that future. The question is, then, how we protect ourselves in that future?"

However, he added that a value of artificial intelligence is "the democratisation of storytelling", adding that anyone "could tell a story, or make a game at scale, with the help of a photoreal engine or an engine and AI tools". Comparing AI to the rapid development in recent years with smartphones, Russo said: "I think we’re in a similar moment with AI, and then in 10 years you’ll go: 'I don't know how I lived without this stuff.'" Meanwhile, you can read about how AI was recently used to create a 'lost' Oasis record right here. Related articles:

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