Poll finds 1/3rd of film/TV workers think AI will benefit the industry

Last Updated on March 26, 2024

The debate, considerations and fear over whether or not artificial intelligence will ultimately have a positive or negative impact within the entertainment industry presses on. Now, a new poll points to just how those in Hollywood think AI will affect their careers.

A new poll by the National Research Group (via IndieWire) found that 42% within the film and television industry believe that artificial intelligence will ultimately be harmful to their profession, while 32% believe it will benefit people within the field. Meanwhile, the remaining quarter of those polled either didn’t know, weren’t sure of an impact or were pre-programmed to be apathetic…

It should be noted that the overall poll was not exclusively limited to those within Hollywood but also those with “high degrees of creativity and autonomy.” So, how do these numbers stack up against other creative fields? Those within the entertainment industry are, predictably, on the higher end of those concerned about their professions, up there with photography (41%), graphic design/illustration (42%), the music industry (45%), journalism (48%), and literature/creative writing (49%). As such, they are within the lower range of professions that think artificial intelligence will be beneficial. The groups that have the most confidence that AI will be a perk are software development, web design and the gaming industry.

While some industries are split over just how artificial intelligence will have an impact going forward, there is a general consensus that intellectual property ownership is at the forefront of the conversation, as 85% of those polled across the target professions said there will need to be laws and regulations over IP and copyright protections, a major sticking point during last year’s Hollywood strikes.

There is also the matter of disclosing when artificial intelligence is actually being used. The most recent example of this stems from horror film Late Night with the Devil, whose filmmakers used a small selection of AI images, which they did not tell audiences about ahead of the release, instead essentially being outed by social media. (While humans did touch up these AI-generated pics, fans are still in an uproar.) On the matter, more than 75% of those polled say it should be disclosed whenever a piece of material has AI origins.

Where do you stand on the matter? Which industries do you see being most impacted by artificial intelligence use over the next few years?