Movies

Jon M. Chu slams Silicon Valley for AI excesses — and studios for forgiving it

BBG News

Jon M. Chu suspects artificial intelligence may have been born wicked.

Growing up in Silicon Valley, as described in his 2024 memoir “Viewfinder: A Memoir of Seeing and Being Seen,” made the successful filmmaker familiar with technology at a young age. He stated this during a panel at the L.A. Times Festival of Books on Sunday. This early exposure provided him with an advantage when he began his creative career, which encompasses director roles for hit movies like “Wicked” and “Crazy Rich Asians.

As a film enthusiast, I can’t help but voice my concerns about the entertainment industry’s leniency towards the ethically murky practices of tech companies in the era of generative AI. I liken this issue to an original sin, as the unauthorized use of Hollywood’s creative works has become all too common.

Originally, a significant transgression occurred that still seems to linger, as the studios amassed a vast amount of data, scripts, and films, according to Chu. In his opinion, these studios should have responded more forcefully when their copyrighted properties were being taken.

He expressed that it seems as though they’re implying, ‘We’ve moved on, let’s leave it behind,’ and further mentioned that he cannot find it in himself to ever pardon that.

Entertainment & Arts

Movie director Jon M. Chu, who is stepping into the world of Broadway for the first time, can expect to work with content that feels comfortable to him since he’s adapting the musical version of Kevin Kwan’s ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ book series.

Although the director of “Crazy Rich Asians” finds generative AI quite unsettling for the entertainment sector, he remains optimistic that it won’t supplant human ingenuity. He also believes that this technology can’t strip individuals of their ability to determine what constitutes “art”.

“I don’t think the robots choose what we decide is valuable,” Chu said.

“We decide, and that’s very empowering for me,” he said.

Hollywood Inc.

Approximately 400 artists and filmmakers from Hollywood, such as directors like Guillermo del Toro, comedians including Chris Rock, and actress Cynthia Erivo from “Wicked”, have collectively penned a letter to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, advocating for the preservation of current copyright laws.

On the Sunday panel, Chu discussed his upcoming endeavors, such as “Wicked: For Good,” set to hit theaters on November 21. Apart from the movie musical, he’s also engaged in projects like adapting Britney Spears’ 2023 memoir titled “The Woman in Me” and a video game called “Split Fiction.” This game revolves around two writer friends who find themselves ensnared within a high-tech simulation of their creative minds.

Regarding the rumors about the upcoming adaptation with Sydney Sweeney, I can neither verify nor refute them since it’s already been made public, but in a way, yes, it does exist.”

Or simply:
“The information about the project has leaked, so I can’t confirm or deny it directly, but I won’t deny that it might be true.

Despite this, the director expressed his enthusiasm about depicting the two realms of the video game, as he’s still figuring out the right equilibrium.

Read More

2025-04-28 04:01

Previous post DOGE PREDICTION. DOGE cryptocurrency
Next post Slugfest