Tyler Perry has put the brakes on his planned studio expansion after witnessing Artificial Intelligence’s “game-changing” capabilities.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, he believes that with OpenAI’s groundbreaking new Sora model, he and his team just generate images with text prompts.
“Being told that it can do all of these things is one thing, but actually seeing the capabilities, it was mind-blowing.”
After seeing the technology work, Perry put his Atlanta studio’s $800 million expansion “indefinitely on hold.”
Tyler Perry’s worry is that Sora and similar tools could put a lot of people out of jobs.
Tyler Perry Believes Many People Will Lose Their Jobs Because Of AI
“I had gotten word over the last year or so that this was coming, but I had no idea until I saw recently the demonstrations of what it’s able to do. It’s shocking to me. I no longer would have to travel to locations. If I wanted to be in the snow in Colorado, it’s text. If I wanted to write a scene on the moon, it’s text, and this AI can generate it like nothing.”
Tyler Perry believes that the significantly lower cost of AI will win over studios since they care about the bottom line.
“If you could spend a fraction of the cost to do a pilot that would’ve cost $15, $20 million or even $35 million if you’re looking at HBO, of course the bottom line of those companies would be to go the route of lesser costs. So I am very, very concerned that in the near future, a lot of jobs are going to be lost. I really, really feel that very strongly.”
Tyler Perry then shared how he and his peers are trying to keep up with the rise of AI.
The Mea Culpa director hopes for government intervention.
“I feel like everybody in the industry is running a hundred miles an hour to try and catch up, to try and put in guardrails and to try and put in safety belts to keep livelihoods afloat. I think we’re all trying to find the answers as we go, and it’s changing every day—and it’s not just our industry, but it’s every industry that AI will be affecting, from accountants to architects. If you look at it across the world, how it’s changing so quickly, I’m hoping that there’s a whole government approach to help everyone be able to sustain.”
