Justine Bateman and the 'No AI Allowed' film festival
CREDO 23 could create a two-tiered system in the movie business
Actress Justine Bateman coming front and centre to the AI in film debate, this time with a sense of urgency by spearheading a ‘No AI Allowed’ film festival. Her bold and defiant move aligns with the strong stance she took last year as the artificial intelligence adviser to SAG-AFTRA, just as the union was settling a strike against studios:
“No generative AI in the entertainment industry, period. We do not have a problem in the entertainment industry of not enough people... all it does is solve the problem for streaming and studio CEOs who want wider profit margins.”
While she acknowledges that AI might have its place in specific, life-threatening scenarios like stunt work, she sees its widespread use as driven by greed rather than necessity.
Many know Bateman from her role as the fun and relatable Mallory on Family Ties in the 1980s. But her journey didn’t stop there. She pivoted midlife, earning a degree in computer science and management from UCLA, and authoring two books that tackle concepts of authenticity and communication: Fame: The Hijacking of Reality, and Face: One Square Foot of Skin, the latter inspired by her experience with online criticism over her natural appearance.
Her experience as an entertainment industry insider and, tech scholar, and social critic makes Bateman a powerful advocate against AI’s encroachment in film. Her latest venture, CREDO 23, echoes the Dogme 95 film principles from nearly three decades ago. Films verified as entirely human-made will earn a special stamp of authenticity from CREDO 23.
Bateman has already kickstarted the initiative with two projects: the short film Look and a feature titled Feel. Filmmakers are now invited to submit their works for the festival slated for next spring.
In contrast, the concept of celebrating AI in film is also gaining traction, as seen at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in South Korea. At Cannes, renowned body-horror director David Cronenberg sparked debate by expressing both excitement and apprehension about AI’s potential in filmmaking:
"The whole idea of actors and production will be gone. That’s the promise and the threat of artificial intelligence"
As we move through this summer, unionized video game actors are striking, while film editors, animators, and other Hollywood craftspeople grapple with the looming threat of AI-driven displacement. Bateman critiques the deal made with film studios and streamers last November as inadequate, but it has only fueled her commitment to CREDO 23 and bolstered her optimism about future audience preferences.
"They'll get to a point where audiences will start feeling sick about it, and be bored with it, and also feel sick about how generative AI is infecting the rest of their lives—their education, insurance companies, their banks, everything.
Filmmakers will have had to differentiate themselves from what AI can do by creating truly original content. When these two trends converge, I believe we'll see a new genre in the arts, and I'm really excited about that.”
Yet, competition is heating up. Meta is striking deals with Hollywood stars to use their voices as virtual assistants. The involvement of big names like Awkwafina, Judi Dench, and Keegan-Michael Key in these ventures underscores the value of their non-AI legacy in filmmaking.
My grain of thought
As AI rapidly advances in the film industry, non-AI advocates are responding with urgency and clear boundaries, such as the creation of a “certified” No-AI film festival. Soon, human-made symbols like CREDO 23 will appear on films, much like non-GMO, gluten-free, and certified organic seals on grocery items. This could lead to a two-tiered system, where those who choose human-made films are seen as more privileged and morally superior, similar to shoppers who prefer organic products. Such seals can create divisions, marking one product as superior based on the judgment of a governing body whose criteria may not be transparent or justified. This polarization fosters a society split between those who oppose and those who embrace AI, leaving little room for nuance and conversation.
Starting THE GRAIN, I’ve faced black-and-white thinking myself, often being asked accusingly, “What is your stance on AI? Are you for or against it?” My stance is that we need to have these conversations and seek to better understand humanity through our responses to intense circumstances. In Man's Search for Meaning, psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl shows that it is through difficult situations that humans reveal their true nature and find meaning. Observing how people react to AI’s emergence in their industry can provide profound insights into humanity. Therefore, it's crucial to view this topic from multiple perspectives, with a love for humanity and a focus on what we can achieve together.