Hollywood hijacked: The AI takeover of Tinseltown’s films to fake out Americans

If you’re a fan who counts down the days to upcoming movie releases for your favorite characters, you may also be a big fan of movie trailers. So, you may be quite angry if you believe you’ve stumbled on a secret movie trailer on YouTube that looks like the real thing, only to discover artificial intelligence duped you.

Although people have been creating fake movie trailers for quite a while and releasing them on platforms like YouTube, readily available artificial intelligence apps make the process far easier. A recent fake AI movie trailer for the James Bond movie franchise – that appeared to show Henry Cavill as the new Bond character – became quite popular, generating almost 4 million views in two weeks.

However, the trailer was a fake from KH Studio. Judging from the comments on YouTube, its quality was more than good enough to dupe many viewers who thought they were viewing the real thing. Because it generated so many views, other creators are sure to look to do something similar.

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Hollywood hijacked: The AI takeover of Tinseltown’s films to fake out Americans

Movie screen in a movie theater (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Why fake AI movie trailers scare Hollywood

AI technology played a key role in the recent labor talks in Hollywood between studios and the actor’s and writer’s unions. The union members wanted guarantees about how studios would use AI that would protect their jobs and creative rights.

The fake movie trailers highlight some of the biggest fears of the creatives in Hollywood. They fear filmmakers could upload existing material into AI software, allowing the AI to generate new material without needing writers or actors. Perhaps AI software could even reboot original TV shows and movies from decades ago with images of the actors as they looked in their younger days.

Those generating fake AI movie trailers currently don’t have a film studio’s financial resources or computing power. Yet, they are already fooling some people into believing the trailers are real. Without safeguards in place, those studios could potentially use their significant resources in the near future to generate AI content that simply isn’t distinguishable from the real thing.

Clapperboard used in filmmaking (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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The proliferation of fake movie trailers on YouTube

You don’t have to search hard online for advice and step-by-step instructions for creating fake movie trailers. Such instructions include information on mimicking the audio, graphics and video to make the trailer look realistic. They can even help you create a fictional description to accompany the YouTube upload.

Those who create these trailers often are simply looking for ways to show off their creativity – while generating plenty of views for potential monetization.

One creator well-known for these types of movies is Abandoned Films on YouTube. This creator uses a combination of AI and Photoshop to generate fake trailers for modern television shows and films that feature camera technology from the 1950s and 1960s.

Another YouTube creator, Curious Refuge, uses AI to generate movie trailers as if they’re filmed in the style of American filmmaker Wes Anderson.

Illustration of individual photographic images (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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Protecting creativity and authenticity

As AI advances, the entertainment industry must work closely with technology companies to establish robust safeguards. This may involve developing digital watermarking techniques, improving trailer authentication processes, and ensuring that AI-generated content is clearly labeled. Preserving the integrity of the moviegoing experience will be crucial in this rapidly evolving landscape.

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Kurt’s key takeaways

No one likes to have the wool pulled over their eyes, especially Hollywood stars. Whether you enjoy the creativity found in fake movie trailers generated with AI or you agree with users on Reddit’s YouTube forum who absolutely hate them, they aren’t going to disappear any time soon. With Hollywood concerned about how AI may affect the entertainment industry, these fake AI movie trailers will surely receive increased attention as they become more prevalent and look more realistic.

Do you believe fake AI movie trailers are something akin to fan fiction? Or do such trailers represent a violation of the rights of the creator of the original works? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.