James Cameron recruited by British rival to OpenAI in bid to woo Hollywood
James Cameron, the creator of The Terminator franchise, has joined forces with a British start-up developing artificial intelligence (AI) technology as it seeks to win over Hollywood.
The veteran filmmaker, who once said that AI could one day do his job, has been appointed to the board of Stability AI, which develops tools for creating images and videos using algorithms.
The appointment comes amid fears among actors, writers and animators that AI bots, which can generate photorealistic videos or mimic voices, could eventually replace them.
A wave of Hollywood actors strikes last year paralysed the film and television industry amid fears their work could be replaced by machines.
Mr Cameron, who also directed Titanic and Avatar and won critical acclaim for his use of visual effects and computer generated imagery, joins Stability AI weeks after it secured critical funding and underwent a major executive reshuffle.
The UK rival to Silicon Valley giant OpenAI is known for its Stable Diffusion technology, one of the most popular tools used to create AI images. It has also developed audio and video-generating AI products.
However, it has burned through tens of millions of pounds amid a struggle to make money from its tools, while the business has been locked in copyright disputes with artists over how its AI was developed. It was valued at $1bn in 2022.
Stability AI’s founder, Emad Mostaque, left the business in March as it raced to secure fresh funding.
Stability AI has since hired a new chief executive, Prem Akkaraju, the former boss of New Zealand visual effects company Weta FX, which produced The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Mr Cameron’s Avatar. It also added Sean Parker, the former Facebook president, as its chairman.
Mr Cameron, who is chairman of production company Lightstorm, said Stability AI’s technology could “unlock new ways for artists to tell stories in ways we could never have imagined”.
It is understood Mr Cameron has also taken a small equity stake in the business.
Despite concerns from actors about the threat of AI, the Canadian filmmaker has hailed the potential of the technology in the film industry. He told the Financial Times earlier this year that if an AI system was suitably advanced “who’s to say that is not an artist”.
He added: “We’ve been doing art since we had consciousness, so why can’t an AGI [artificial general intelligence system] do it at that point – write a script, direct a movie, do whatever?”
However, he has also warned about the risks posed by the “weaponisation of AI” – as in his film The Terminator.
In The Terminator, the AI defence system Skynet becomes self-aware and unleashes nuclear weapons against humanity. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character, a humanoid robot, is sent back in time to assassinate the mother of a future leader of the resistance against the AI superintelligence.
Mr Parker said: “James Cameron is a legend, both for his artistic vision as a filmmaker and his role as a pioneering technologist. Having an artist of his calibre with a seat at the table marks the start of a new chapter for Stability AI.
“We’re incredibly excited by the limitless potential for creative collaboration between generative media platforms and the artistic community.”
