Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Liv Boeree Talk AI and the Film Industry (1)

This is our first ever FTB Deep Dive. We will sometimes take detailed notes on certain videos that are very pressing and offer great perspectives and opinions. This video was FILLED with great insights, especially about the dangers of addictions of AI.

Introduction to Joseph Gordon-Levitt

• Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a Hollywood actor, writer, director, and producer.

• Founder of Emmy award-winning production company Hit Record.

• Known for his understanding of competition and collaboration in the creative process.

Hollywood Strikes: SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America

• First collective strike since 1960.

• Strikes against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), representing studios.

• Main issues include residuals and concerns about emerging technologies like AI.

Residuals

• Additional payments made to creatives like actors, writers, directors, and musicians for continued use of their work.

• Concerns about residuals becoming insufficient in the era of streaming services like Netflix and Disney Plus.

AI in Hollywood and Other Industries

• AI is considered a significant concern for the future of creative industries.

• Hollywood might be a "canary in the coal mine" for the impact of AI in various sectors.

AI and Training Data

• AI models trained on existing images, footage, or writing from the internet.

• Creatives cannot monetize their work used for training AI models.

• AI potentially putting creatives out of jobs.

Ethical and Technological Challenges

• Proposal: If an AI uses someone's work, it should pay them.

• Technological limitations make it hard to track what training data influences AI output.

• The "interpretability problem" means the inner workings of AI are like a black box, difficult to understand even by its creators.

Because people don’t understand what’s going on inside these AI systems, they don’t have a method to reward the creators of the original works. It is nearly impossible to fairly compensate them. Advantage: Tech companies

Philosophical Questions

• Comparison between human creative process and AI's generative abilities.

• Difference pointed out: humans bring a lifetime of unique experiences to their creative outputs, which AI lacks.

• Theoretical scenario: Could an AI with 10 years of sensory data have a "lifetime of experiences" comparable to a human?

Comparing Humans and Language Models

• Time perception differs between humans and machines; 10 years for a machine could be vastly different from human experience.

• Personification of technology: People tend to personify cars, similarly some may personify language models.

• Question of sentience: Where is the line drawn between a car and a language model being sentient?

Economic and Social Impact

• Real-world harms on humans, such as job loss, particularly in fields beyond high-profile industries.

• The ripple effect in the economy: If humans lose jobs, new training data for models may also dwindle.

They will dwindle because of the recursion process. AI models will be trained on AI models, and the cycle is infinite.

Preservation of Human Essence and Creativity

• Concerns about losing the "soul of human essence."

• The need for a well-running market dynamic to incentivize human creativity.

Intellectual Property and Medical Professionals

• Doctors' work produces intellectual property in the form of medical records.

• Potential ethical concerns about training data and future job displacement.

They brought up an example of Doctors signing the rights to medical documents to Hospitals and organizations, and they would have never done this, if they knew it was going to be used for AI models that are ultimately going to replace him

Art and Creativity

• Surprising impact of AI on the art industry; art was once thought to be untouchable by automation.

• Importance of "errors" or unpredictability in art, which could make AI suitable for it.

Wider Industry Impact Beyond Hollywood

• Hollywood is just the tip of the iceberg; other professions like gardening are also at risk.

• Need for a market dynamic that properly compensates humans for their contributions.

Market Dynamics and UBI

• Caution around centralized economic power and the inefficacies of pure central planning.

• A balanced approach with a safety net and incentives for creative competition is ideal.

Ethical Considerations in Market Practices

• Predatory business practices and their societal impact.

• Need for rules to align incentives for better outcomes for consumers.

Future of Storytelling

• Concerns about storytelling being outsourced to language models.

• The irreplaceable and intangible value humans bring to storytelling.

AI in the Creative Process

• Concerns about AI-driven content: The risk of generating "junk food" content that optimizes for dopamine hits rather than depth or originality.

• Role of AI in storytelling: The fear of outsourcing authentic storytelling to algorithms, echoing how market forces currently drive content creation.

They talked about how the primary motive for storytelling in today's entertainment industry is often financial gain. They expressed concern that if AI increasingly takes over the creative writing aspect of filmmaking, the focus of the creative landscape will shift solely to profitability.

Invisible Hand vs. AI

• Adam Smith's Invisible Hand: Describes market forces that are complicated but provide outputs like economy and prices.

• Drawbacks of Capitalism: The invisible hand, when overly relied upon, can lead to content that makes money but isn't good for human well-being.

• Amplification by AI: Using AI in a similar manner can make the existing problems of capitalism even worse.

Multi-use Nature of AI

• Definition of Intelligence: AI is multi-use and omni-use, applicable for both good and bad.

AI is a double edged sword. Plain and simple.

• Misalignment for Human Health: Current systems already slightly misaligned for what's good for human well-being and biosphere. AI could speed this up.

Existential Risk & AI Safety

• Under-discussed Concerns: The conversation about existential risk often leaves out the risks of AI amplifying the problems of capitalism.

• Center for Humane Technology: Organizations like this are addressing the nuanced risks associated with AI.

Potential Positive Use of AI in Creativity

• Expression: AI should make it easier for people to express themselves creatively.

• Evolution of Tools: It's easier than ever to make high-quality videos; AI could take this to the next level.

Collateral Outcomes

• Musical Instruments as an Example: Learning to play an instrument has intangible benefits that using an AI tool might not provide.

• Embodied Learning: Different parts of our body, like the stomach, also have neurons and are involved in learning, which could be lost with too much AI use.

Instant Gratification vs. Depth

• Instant Gratification: Getting what we want instantly through AI might have an unknown cost.

• Historical Concerns: Technological advancements have historically been criticized for undermining skills (e.g., the piano was criticized for making music too easy).

Technology's Impact on Art & Culture

• The Piano's Impact on Music: Initially criticized for destroying musicianship but gave rise to great composers like Bach.

They discussed how for as long as humans have been around, people get cynical about technology as it makes it easier to create art. Something about the struggle is meaningful, and it causes people to get bitter about new tech.

• Movies and Acting: Feared to ruin traditional acting but led to a new form of the art.

Role of AI in Acting and Art

• AI has the potential to bring both gains and losses in the realm of acting.

• The question arises: Will audiences care if a digital character replaces a human actor?
• There may be generational differences in preference.
• People might value human actors for their social and emotional aspects.

Dangers of Blissful Technology

• AI could create a "whirlpool of bliss" that makes people lose touch with reality.
• The example given is the rise of AI-enhanced porn and its potentially addictive nature.

Directing and Acting Simultaneously

• It's challenging but possible to direct and act at the same time.

• The actor's perspective can help direct scenes more subtly and effectively.

• There are downsides, and separating the roles is generally beneficial.

Addiction in Digital Age: "Porn" Definition Broadened

• Addiction to technology is considered a significant threat to civilization.

• The term "porn" is expanded to include anything that hijacks the brain, such as news, entertainment, etc.
• Media can either activate our more "animalistic" thinking (System 1) or "cerebral" thinking (System 2), based on Daniel Kahneman's "Thinking Fast and Slow."

Flow States vs. Addictive States

• Losing oneself can be either constructive or destructive.

• The distinction could be in alignment with higher goals.
• Beneficial flow states lead to productive outcomes.
• Destructive "flow" could result in nothing gained or even harm (e.g., fried dopamine circuits).

Ethical Considerations for Tech Companies

• Current incentives for tech companies encourage them to create more predatory and addictive technologies.
• There's a need for changing these incentives to align with the well-being of users.

They discussed how AI technology could be aligned with our higher selves. But… it seems to be more profitable to prey on our lower selves.

Cultural References

• Mention of "Amusing Ourselves to Death," a book about the negative impacts of entertainment.

Moloch Concept and Misaligned Incentives

• Discussion centers around the "Moloch" concept, which describes a system where competition drives entities to make decisions that are harmful in the aggregate.

• Argues against pure libertarianism, stating that unregulated competition can lead to a race to the bottom.

• Suggests there needs to be checks and balances to prevent detrimental outcomes.

Technology's Role in Addiction

• Concern about technology becoming increasingly addictive.

• Focus shifts to the development of AI relationships, like AI girlfriends, and the potential for them to be extremely addictive.

• The central idea is that these AIs will be optimized for profit, making them potentially predatory.

Skills Kids Should Learn

• Emphasizes the importance of teaching kids how to fight addiction, given the future landscape of highly addictive technologies.

Digital Relationships in Isolation

• Addresses the potential for AI relationships to fill gaps in human connection, especially in times of isolation.

• However, warns that if these digital relationships are optimized for profit, they won't genuinely contribute to human happiness.

Acting Career and Competition

• Describes the competitive nature of acting, especially child acting.

• Characterizes the competition as intense but not sabotaging. It's about trying to get limited roles.

Personal Experience in Child Acting

• Attributes his positive experience in child acting to a supportive family and not needing the income from acting.

• Focus on the art and craft, rather than the glamour and fame, was beneficial.

• Valuable life lesson from dealing with constant rejection in auditions.

Emotional Resilience

• Notes that experiencing rejection in auditions built emotional resilience and a realistic outlook on life and professional endeavors.

Attitude Toward Exams and Early Life

• Loved exams as a kid; felt they would always get the top mark.

• Teachers would tell them what everyone else scored.

• Created unrealistic expectations about the world.