The democratization of generative AI:

A threat to film producers?

This article will probably steer some debate as I’ll be trying to express a very unpopular opinion, drawing parallels between what some in the AI community call “toy-tools”, Midjourney, Runway, and the likes, and Canva, a quintessential online free design tool, Canva, for Graphic Design Agencies. Through this comparison, projecting what has happened and what might arise, we’ll have a look at the strong social impact on the film sector that might have tools that focus on democratizing AI Filmmaking.

The end of filmmaking as we know it?

Through countless interactions and deep, philosophical debates with small and middle-sized film production companies, I understand the fear that comes with such technological revolutions. 

The brilliant article "The End of Brands As We Know Them" from Rei Inamoto, discusses the evolution of brands and creativity in the age of AI, inspiring me to write for the specific niche that I know so well, film production, to nameit. Their article highlights the shift in the power dynamic from institutions to individuals, as individuals, particularly with the rise of generative AI, can now outsell institutions, potentially signaling the end of brands and creative agencies (film productions) as we know them. The article also presents four paradigm shifts that can guide us from the Connected Age to the Intelligent Age: from organizational scale to functional speed, from transaction to conversation, from USP to POV, and from generative AI to creative AI. These shifts are essential for brands and creators to stay relevant in the evolving landscape of the Intelligent Age.

I want to quote this excellent article from Rei Inamoto, recently published on Medium (I would even advise you to read it before going through my 2 cents, as my ambition is to respond to the specific niche of Film productions):

The democratization of AI Generative tools to create Video

Now, back to our Film Producers around the globe: If you are a film producer or content creator, you must have witnessed the incessant flow of very impressive (but most of the times, still deploying shallow narratives) AI videos generated thanks to the help of a combination of two proprietary source tools:

• Midjourney (to generate the stills)

• Runway (for animation)

And many more, to name them:

• Image: Segment by Met AI, CarIyon V2, PhotoRoom...



• Video: Pika Labs, HeyGen, Pictory, Vidyo AI...

I’ve been personally using these tools as far as I could creatively, to express the most complex narratives I could. And I am now convinced this will change the role of filmmakers and film producers in a few years. 

Interestingly, at the time of writing this article, Stable Diffusion deployed (November 2023) 2 new interfaces/tools: Stable Diffusion Video (a direct competitor to Runway) and Stable Diffusion Turbo (a direct competitor to Midjourney, but with a very different interface and almost-immediate generation ControlNet). Bear in mind that Stable Diffusion, so far, has been almost completely free to use (the essence of open-source), and that Emad Mostaque, its CEO, is getting pressure from the board to focus on the monetization of the company, even trying to “sell” the open source company (https://fortune.com/2023/11/29/stability-ai-sale-intel-ceo-resign/)

The relationship between proprietary AI tools and the AI Open-Source world

One fact that I must remind ourselves of is that most of these proprietary tools have core AI systems (deployed in a proprietary platform and interface) based on Open Source Models mainly developed by Stability AI, such as Stable Diffusion. Although non explicitly described as one being based on the other, the fact that Runway has been involved in the development and release of Stable Diffusion is, however, public information. In a completely different industry, the Cloud storage mogul, KAFKA, has a base model called “Apache Kafka” that is based on open-source software.

The advantages of Open Source are multiple for these incumbents: they not only allow for widespread use and adaptation in various applications but also encourage a collaborative approach to its development and enhancement, with contributions from a global community of developers. For free. This is important to understand: most AI innovations and cutting-edge systems, models, datasets, and programs are coming from the Open Source Community, especially through Stable Diffusion and its communities for Visual AI generation.

With this information in mind, we hear many people in the Stable Diffusion open-source community call Runway, Midjourney, and their competitors the “Canva for AI Visual generation”. 

Canva vs Designers // AI vs Film Producers

Back to our comparison then, let’s have a look at how Canva affected the Designer’s market:

Canva, founded in 2013 by Melanie Perkins, has become a highly successful design platform, valued at $40 billion in 2021. Its success can be attributed to the founders' strong belief in changing the way the world designs graphics, as well as the company's focus on technology, creativity, and user-friendly design, making it accessible to everyone, regardless of technical proficiency

It is now an iconic tool and has affected the world of professional designers profoundly (I witness every day how much harder it has become for medium and small-sized Design Agencies nowadays to find projects and thrive). Some criticisms of Canva's impact on the graphic design industry include:

Devaluation of the profession:

Critics argue that Canva is making it too easy for people to create designs without any formal training or experience, leading to a devaluation of the graphic design profession

Limitations for professional designers:

Canva is primarily geared toward non-designers and lacks the depth and versatility of professional design software like Adobe Creative Cloud. It has limited file compatibility, lacks advanced features, and does not have robust collaboration features, making it difficult for professional designers to achieve the level of precision and control they need in their work.

Threat to graphic designers:

Some graphic designers feared that Canva may replace the need for graphic designers, as it allows clients to create designs themselves, potentially leading to a loss of work. Canva's ease of use and popularity among non-designers have raised concerns about its impact on the industry.

Deceptive perception of design:

Canva's easy-to-use templates and tools may give non-designers the impression that design is easy, potentially undermining the expertise and skills of professional graphic designers.

While Canva has made design more accessible, its limitations and potential impact on the industry have sparked a polarizing debate among designers.

The Strategies that successful Design Agencies implemented to adapt to the "Canva-effect"

What were the best strategies for professional designers to implement then?

To protect their value in this evolving landscape, professional designers have therefore considered the following strategies:

Focus on expertise and specialization:

By specializing in specific areas and using the most complex and complete tools (Photoshop, After Effects, Figma, Illustrator, to name them...) designers were able to differentiate themselves from non-professional users and add significant value to projects.

Embrace design thinking and collaboration:

Designers Agencies managed to leverage design thinking methodologies and collaborative approaches to work closely with clients and non-designers by involving them in the design process and educating them about it (For example, using Figma and other collaborative tools on Adobe).

Offer high-level creative services:

Instead of focusing solely on the execution of design tasks, designers can position themselves as strategic and creative partners who can provide valuable insights, research, and guidance throughout the design process. This helped design agencies demonstrate their value beyond technical skills and software proficiency

Invest in cutting-edge technologies:

The design industry is constantly evolving (Open Source is at the cutting edge of all features, models, and iterations), the most successful design agencies stayed ahead of the curve by learning new skills, exploring emerging technologies, and adapting to changing client needs.

How about film producers then?

Will it happen to film producers and the Filmmaking sector? I don’t believe the same impact will come, but it is important in my opinion to look at the pattern here to understand how to face the AI evolution to come. Many amongst the AI Filmmaking and Visual creation communities believe that these strategies: Focusing on expertise and specialization, embracing design thinking and collaboration, Offering high-level strategic and creative services, and investing in cutting Edge techs and tools are the right approach to capture all the great opportunities to project their unique voices and narratives to the rest of the world.

I’ll finish with a last quote from the same article that inspired my writing: