Stakeholders come together to explore new technology

There’s a lot of concern about the potential for AI to replace artists and human creativity, but during his keynote address at the AI ​​on the Lot event in downtown Los Angeles on May 16, Renard Jenkins reminded recruiters that AI could impact any job. From CFOs to CEOs.

“If you give me your 10 years of financial operations, I recommend [and additional data] I can mold a CFO,” said Jenkins, president and CEO of software development and consulting firm I2A2. “I can create a mechanism that makes Wall Street happier than the CEO [could].”

But the executive, president of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers and a Warner Bros. alum, isn’t suggesting humans aren’t necessary. He emphasized that he believes that AI education will „remove fear” and that he sees the possibilities that the technology offers as a tool. „It’s nothing but mathematics, probability and statistics,” he said. “Don’t think of it as an alternative; Consider it an improvement.

„Man must be part of the process,” he emphasized. „It’s what you do in these settings that really matters.”

During his keynote, Jenkins said he wasn’t going to herald the use of AI as a way to save money, but rather as a way to save time. Time, he noted, often brings better results.

In its second year, AI On The Lot reported 850 registered participants. Participants ranged from Hollywood studio representatives to technology developers and filmmakers, both established and hoping to make their mark as part of the next generation of storytellers.

In related AI news, Thursday was the final scheduled day of negotiations between the International Theater Workers and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which ended without an agreement on a new basic contract. Artificial intelligence security pathways are a key issue in these negotiations, along with topics such as funding for IATSE’s benefits programs.

Negotiations on a partial standards agreement are scheduled to begin on Monday and basic agreement negotiations will resume in June, IATSE said. The three-year contract expires on July 31.