www.thewrap.com: Warner Music announced on Tuesday that it has partnered with the Piaf Estate on “innovative and groundbreaking AI technology” that will recreate Piaf’s voice and image. The first animated biopic of an artist using AI will chart Piaf’s life from the 1920s to the 1960s.
Piaf died in 1963.
4 comments:
This article is certainly something. I do have to say though that my first reaction is freaking hell no. I just don’t know, it feels wrong. This person’s estate and Warner Studios will be making presumably a lot of money off of a person who cannot benefit from it. I also doubt that someone born in the 20s left instructions in their will on how to deal with any hypothetical reproductions of themselves made with AI. At the same time, I value remembering people, and I value keeping legacies alive. I mean besides the fact that this is a new conversation the industry is having it is incredibly interesting to think about. Maybe it is only okay to reproduce a person and their likeness or voice if they have passed because it won't be hindering any business of a person that is alive. At the same time though this is extremely interesting because I think AI could be so easily taken advantage of. I am just not sure how I feel but I am not entirely sure that this concept sits well with me anyway I put it.
This is such a wild concept that I did not think would be possible. I know that things like deep fake exist where you can put another person's face on someone's body to manipulate the video and make it appear as if that person is really saying or doing something. I think that the biopic on her will be very interesting, but something about it being AI sounds like it will be very creepy. I feel like this method might have the potential to dehumanize Edith Piaf and do the opposite of what the biopic intends to do, bring her back to life. Her voice is so iconic and there is so much nuance in singing and storytelling, I’m not confident that AI will be able to capture that. I’m also so curious about how people will act across from her. How genuine and grounded can ones acting be if they are acting across from a robot? So much of acting is reacting and feeding off of your scene partner, I’m very confused as to how this will work.
I understand why some people think this is a good idea. Wanting to remember a star as close to their true self is valid. However, there are ethical considerations and potential controversies surrounding it. The use of AI to recreate deceased individuals raises ethical questions about consent, privacy, and the potential impact on the deceased person's legacy. Without explicit consent, (since you can’t ask a dead person) it may be seen as a violation of the individual's rights and the wishes of their estate or family. Filmmakers, artists, and others may argue that using AI to recreate historical figures is a form of artistic expression and storytelling. However, this needs to be balanced with respect for the individual's memory and the potential for misinformation or misrepresentation. Additionally, if this is what the industry turns into there is a world in which we just recycle the same AI over and over and over. I see this as death to the industry and that is a shame.
I love old music and have very sincerely been an Edith Piaf fan for a long time. I find the news of this AI news phenomenally upsetting. Not only is it disgracing the nuances and humanness of Piaf’s personhood, but is also beginning the obsoletion of the actor. I really struggle with the concept that Piaf, an artist so dedicated to her craft, would appreciate this frankly lazy way of creating art in my opinion. While I know phenomenal technical work goes into sourcing these clips, I’m still left pondering why. What was so wrong with humans that caused us to not use them to act as other humans? While I’m glad the technology has brought comfort to her family and estate, I’m still left dissatisfied. The article states that the filmmakers have access to documentary-style clips of Piaf. Why not combine these with acting to tell the story? I’m simply left perplexed by this choice.
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