The war between Hollywood and AI moved to the end credits of movies and series

Sve je počelo s Pluribusom

The most recent and one of the first examples is the Pluribus series by Vince Gillighan (creator of the Breaking Bad series), who was among the first to have the tag: “This series was created by people”. Gilligan became the unofficial leader of the movement, calling AI “the most advanced plagiarism machine in the world”. His move is not accidental, but is a direct consequence of the historic strikes of screenwriters and actors that paralyzed Hollywood in 2023 and slowed down the sequels of our most beloved films and series. At the center of the months-long negotiations surrounding the strike was precisely the fear that the studio would use algorithms to write scripts and create digital replicas of actors without their consent. The result of the strikes are new collective agreements that set a precedent, according to which AI cannot be signed as an author, and the use of a digital replica of an actor requires their express consent.

AI-generated trailer for Marvel’s ‘Secret Invasion’:

Wider movement

Gilligan’s example is not alone. The horror film “Heretic” (2024) also states in the credits that “no generative artificial intelligence was used in the creation of the film”. Around the world, initiatives such as “Proudly Human” are appearing, which offer digital badges as a guarantee of authenticity. However, the situation is not black and white. Critics warn that drawing a clear line is almost impossible, because AI tools are more integrated into editing, sound and visual effects software for years. For example, AI was used to digitally rejuvenate the actors in “The Irishman” by Martin Scorsese. On the other hand, the public does not tolerate non-transparency, which was shown by the extremely negative reaction to the revelation that the opening credits of the Marvel series “Secret Invasion” were created with the help of AI. It is this anger that encourages authors to publicly distance themselves from such practices, but the key question remains: is the label “Made by Humans” a real ethical obligation or just a skillful marketing trick, the so-called “human-washing”?