OpenAI to make Hollywood animated film using artificial intelligence

Critterz, the new movie, is about forest animals going on an adventure.

OpenAI has partnered with production companies in London and Los Angeles to create a feature-length animated film that is being made largely with artificial intelligence.

The primary objective of employing AI technology for the project is to expedite the production process while reducing expenses, as well as to demonstrate what AI can accomplish for the film industry, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

The strategy has drawn comparisons to the early years of computer-generated imagery (CGI) animation in the mid-1990s, when Pixar, which was largely financed by Steve Jobs, a co-founder of Apple, gained notoriety for ground-breaking films like Toy Story and Monsters Inc.

Critterz, the new movie, is about forest animals going on an adventure. Three years ago, Chad Nelson, an OpenAI creative specialist, came up with the initial concept. In 2023, OpenAI funded Nelson's previously created short film of the same name.

Despite the advancement, it is still unclear if generative AI will actually revolutionise animation or if it will only serve to emphasise the shortcomings of existing AI systems. Many outputs generated by AI still require heavy human intervention to correct technical flaws and inconsistencies.

But what really sticks out is that the movie had a budget of less than $30 million, which is a lot less than most animated films.

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The goal, according to James Richardson, co-founder of London-based Vertigo Films, which is working with OpenAI on the project, is to cut Nelson's Critterz's production time from three years to just nine months, as he told WSJ.

The project is being closely watched because it has the potential to revolutionise the way that creativity and technology interact in the film industry.