Justine Bateman Warns AI Will Burn Down Hollywood As Box Office Lags and Creativity Stalls

Hollywood currently has a dearth of creativity. Over the summer, the majority of movies were either live-action remakes, sequels, or parts of larger franchises. This includes the live-action remake of Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch,” “Freakier Friday” (the sequel to the 2003 film “Freaky Friday”), and “The Fantastic Four,” part of the expansive Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Current box office pacing, while ahead of 2024’s numbers, is lagging behind 2023.

Many critics note the lack of original content, coupled with lackluster offerings, as part of what’s keeping audiences away.

Some in Hollywood wonder if artificial intelligence (AI) is the solution to the industry’s problems.

Actress, writer, and filmmaker Justine Bateman disagrees. 

Bateman says, “You completely stop your forward momentum as an artist by using AI, because you’re going, ‘Eh, I’m done thinking imaginatively about progressing within my skillset. I’m going to jump off that and start using something that regurgitates stolen work from other people.’ You’ll go forward creatively, if you don’t use AI. You’ll do the opposite if you use AI.” 

In the 17-minute interview with the BBC, Bateman said, “There’s no reason for me to ever use it [AI]…I love writing, why would I do that?” She also added, “A couple of years ago, I realized how the incorporation of generative AI was going to pretty much crush the structure of the film business, just by the nature of taking out certain roles.” Bateman founded the Credo 23 Film Festival, which only features films that haven’t used AI.

“I saw that the studios and streamers were all in on AI, and then I saw that the film festivals were very much incorporating AI and allowing themselves to be funded by these tech bros. And I thought, Wow, where’s the new — cause nothing new will ever come out of generative AI…you’re just going to get a regurgitation of whatever it’s been fed…where are the filmmakers going to be able to display their new works?” Credo 23 began as a stamp applied to films that did not use AI, prompting Bateman to start her film festival. When asked if she thought using AI was cheating, she called it a “shortcut to making money” before saying, “If that’s all you’re using it for, you’re not a filmmaker.”

When asked about the impact of AI on the film industry, Bateman noted, “We have a reduction in production…film and series production is down 40% from the 2019 numbers. A lot of production shifted over onto the streamer’s laps” before noting AI reduces employment opportunities as well.

This isn’t the first time Bateman has warned about AI. In October of last year, she said AI would “burn down the business.” 

Her push against AI comes after the 2023 Writers’ Guild of America strike ended with a deal that said while AI can be used, it cannot replace writers and puts guardrails on using writers’ work to train AI. But in an industry where its two biggest summer films — James Gunn’s “Superman” and the MCU’s “Fantastic Four” failed to do well at the box office but cost millions to produce — it’s possible studios will revisit the use of AI in the future to streamline productions and cut costs.

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Hollywood currently has a dearth of creativity. Over the summer, the majority of movies were either live-action remakes, sequels, or parts of larger franchises. This includes the live-action remake of Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch,” “Freakier Friday” (the sequel to the 2003 film “Freaky Friday”), and “The Fantastic Four,” part of the expansive Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Current box office pacing, while ahead of 2024’s numbers, is lagging behind 2023.

Many critics note the lack of original content, coupled with lackluster offerings, as part of what’s keeping audiences away.

Some in Hollywood wonder if artificial intelligence (AI) is the solution to the industry’s problems.

Actress, writer, and filmmaker Justine Bateman disagrees. 

Bateman says, “You completely stop your forward momentum as an artist by using AI, because you’re going, ‘Eh, I’m done thinking imaginatively about progressing within my skillset. I’m going to jump off that and start using something that regurgitates stolen work from other people.’ You’ll go forward creatively, if you don’t use AI. You’ll do the opposite if you use AI.” 

In the 17-minute interview with the BBC, Bateman said, “There’s no reason for me to ever use it [AI]…I love writing, why would I do that?” She also added, “A couple of years ago, I realized how the incorporation of generative AI was going to pretty much crush the structure of the film business, just by the nature of taking out certain roles.” Bateman founded the Credo 23 Film Festival, which only features films that haven’t used AI.

“I saw that the studios and streamers were all in on AI, and then I saw that the film festivals were very much incorporating AI and allowing themselves to be funded by these tech bros. And I thought, Wow, where’s the new — cause nothing new will ever come out of generative AI…you’re just going to get a regurgitation of whatever it’s been fed…where are the filmmakers going to be able to display their new works?” Credo 23 began as a stamp applied to films that did not use AI, prompting Bateman to start her film festival. When asked if she thought using AI was cheating, she called it a “shortcut to making money” before saying, “If that’s all you’re using it for, you’re not a filmmaker.”

When asked about the impact of AI on the film industry, Bateman noted, “We have a reduction in production…film and series production is down 40% from the 2019 numbers. A lot of production shifted over onto the streamer’s laps” before noting AI reduces employment opportunities as well.

This isn’t the first time Bateman has warned about AI. In October of last year, she said AI would “burn down the business.” 

Her push against AI comes after the 2023 Writers’ Guild of America strike ended with a deal that said while AI can be used, it cannot replace writers and puts guardrails on using writers’ work to train AI. But in an industry where its two biggest summer films — James Gunn’s “Superman” and the MCU’s “Fantastic Four” failed to do well at the box office but cost millions to produce — it’s possible studios will revisit the use of AI in the future to streamline productions and cut costs.

Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy Townhall’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.

Join Townhall VIP and use the promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership!