Tyler Perry warns against tech; cancels $800 million expansion due to Open AI’s Sora

Last Updated on February 26, 2024

Tyler Perry is one of the most successful names in Hollywood, creating an empire that is now worth an estimated $1 billion. Pretty good for a guy who made his name dressing up as a sassy elderly woman. But even he, whose production company employs hundreds, isn’t invincible from the constant threat of artificial intelligence…even if it’s by his own doing.

As Tyler Perry recently told The Hollywood Reporter, there are “shocking” developments in the world of AI, citing Open AI’s Sora, which aims to teach “AI to understand and simulate the physical world in motion.” Based on examples, Sora is undeniably yet another game-changer in the world of consumed media.  “I have been watching AI very closely and watching the advancements very closely. I was in the middle of, and have been planning for the last four years, about an $800 million expansion at the studio, which would’ve increased the backlot a tremendous size, we were adding 12 more soundstages. All of that is currently and indefinitely on hold because of Sora and what I’m seeing.”

So why would Tyler Perry put such an endeavor on hold? Well, taking a look at the numbers and developments, why spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a massive complex when you can achieve all of your creative fantasies with a few keystrokes? This no doubt would cost jobs, possibly around 200,000 over the next three years. As for how Perry plans to maintain jobs within his own company, it’s all up in the air. “Just like every other studio in town, we’re all trying to figure it all out. I think we’re all trying to find the answers as we go, and it’s changing every day…” Still, Perry has used AI on some upcoming projects “to avoid ever having to sit through hours of aging makeup.” At the same time, he said, “I just hope…that there’ll be some sort of thought and some sort of compassion for humanity and the people that have worked in this industry and built careers and lives.” But how much compassion will there be when convenience and cost-cutting is at play? After all, wouldn’t Perry using AI instead of actual makeup artists put a few livelihoods at risk?

This isn’t a diss on Tyler Perry, who clearly has a grip on the state of the movie business. But it does suggest that we could be at a point of no return for artificial intelligence in Hollywood. While some still insist that it won’t replace as many people as others think, there is constant proof that this is in fact the case.

Do you think Hollywood needs to enforce regulations over artificial intelligence? Or is it too late? Give us your thoughts below.