'We're optimists': AI enthusiasts Joe and Anthony Russo defend its use in movies and TV shows, but admit there are 'very real dangers' around its application

• The Electric State directors have offered their thoughts on the use of AI in movies and TV shows
• Joe and Anthony Russo support its application as long as it's used in the right ways
• The filmmakers have hired an AI expert for their AGBO production company

The Russo brothers have delivered their definitive verdict on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the entertainment industry.

Ahead of the release of their new Netflix film The Electric State, Joe and Anthony Russo spoke to TechRadar about AI's use in movies and TV shows, as well as on streaming platforms. And, while the siblings are enthusiastic about its implementation in the arts sector, they're well aware that it can and will be abused by people and companies who don't have the entertainment business' best interests at heart.

The rapid rise of AI and its employment in the entertainment industry have become hot topics of discussion, especially in the last 18 months. The 2023 Hollywood strikes first brought it to many peoples' attentions, with LA-based writers and actors going on strike at the time over the potential use of AI in their work.

Since then, AI's use in the industry has not only grown exponentially, but has also mostly been received negatively. Ahead of this year's glitzy Academy Awards ceremony, Oscars frontrunner The Brutalist was accused of using generative AI in enhance its dialog while its fellow multi-award nominee Emilia Perez was also criticized for using voice enhancing technology.

That's just the tip of the iceberg, too. Netflix tried to use AI to fix 80s sitcom A Different World with nightmarish results (according to viewers, anyway) and many of the world's best streaming services have experimented with AI's use for various reasons. Most recently, Prime Video has been testing AI dubbing to make its film and TV back catalogs more accessible.

Clearly, AI's use in the entertainment industry is only going to grow. That makes The Electric State's impending release (it's out on March 14) all the more timely, with one of March's new Netflix movies exploring the impact that technology can have on humanity, the creation of automated and sentient androids, and the potential to create autocratic societies where power-hungry 'tech bros' control the masses.

So, what do veteran Marvel filmmakers Joe and Anthony Russo, who will return to the MCU shortly to direct Avengers: Doomsday and its sequel Avengers: Secret Wars, make of AI's proliferation in the industry? After all, the pair are AI enthusiasts – indeed, they recently hired an AI expert for their AGBO production company to "enrich the creative process" (per The Hollywood Reporter) of the projects they produce.

"We consider ourselves [to be] technologists," Anthony Russo told me. "We like technology. We're drawn to new technology. We love the potentials that it can unlock, both in our filmmaking and in life in general. Throughout our careers, we've been chasing technological innovation in our process, so we're optimists in that respect.

"But, we certainly recognize the fact that it is potentially dangerous," he continued. "We can see that around us. We know that technology is being abused by the people who create it in terms of how they use it to manipulate and control, and to get people addicted to their products. People are able to create dishonest representations with it and are able to be more aggressive towards one another, because it feels less personal [to attack someone using AI].

"So, we recognize these very real dangers, which is why we were motivated to make this movie. But, at the end of the day, it really becomes about the technology itself isn't good or bad. It's the people who use the technology and how they use it that makes the difference in terms of whether it's ultimately a positive or negative thing for humanity."

For more from my exclusive chat with the Russo brothers, find out why they didn't want to use real, fully-functioning robots in The Electric State. Then, read my review of The Electric State to see why it won't be joining our best Netflix movies guide.

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