The “tsunami” of AI use cases and the risks of creators and the copyright protections it poses were in the spotlight in the Cinelink Industry Section of the 31st edition of the Sarajevo Film Festival on Thursday.
“When AI hit us two years ago, my organization was very focused on working on the streaming economy,” Cecile Despringre, secretary to the Audiovisual Authors Association, said during a panel discussion on the topic of “Artificial Intelligence, Author Rights, Guild Solidarity.” “We were very busy trying to convince policymakers and streaming companies to pay. [streaming] royalty when writers and directors exploit their work. ”
Her team approached using AI and content to train AI models “in the same spirit.” “It is a new use of these works and we believe that copyright principles should apply. We call it the “art of AI.” Because you always need to find new slogans to make people understand. ”
Despringre concluded that it is all about three things: authorization, rewards and transparency, from an AI protection and regulation perspective.
She then tangled the European Union's AI law, which was discussed last year and came into effect at the beginning of the month. Under that, providers of general purpose AI models (GPAI) such as ChatGpt, Deep Seek, and Dall-E must comply with European copyright laws for the use of copyrighted materials in training AI systems and provide copyright holders with a “fair and appropriate” compensation. The Rightholder group was consulted through the drafting of the law, but recently complained that the way the law is in place does not adequately protect artists and puts the European creative industry at risk.
“It was regulation to try to deal with this new economy. These new tools are invading our lives with a systematic risk approach,” Despringo argued. “And while it was very last time that some copyright rules were introduced, there were very general rules regarding respect for EU copyright law, and then there was a process of implementing these rules through codes of practice. [required] I would say there is a lot of energy for very small results. ”
Her conclusion: “In a nutshell, what I can say is very unfortunate from the top right perspective, as it is incredibly advantageous for AI companies. It doesn't cause a concrete obligation to respect copyright, and is very limited in terms of transparency.
Marta Krzetowska, producer of Poland's Orka and president of the Polish Post-Production Association, summarised where the AI revolution stands like this.
She then shared that she personally feels “divided” given her dual role. “It's very difficult for us as producers to find ways to deal with AI as producers because as producers, I need to be clear,” she explained. “You need to make sure your rights are protected.”
However, the movement to regulate AI may not work anymore. “I don't know if it's a little too late now,” she said. “The whole AI model and the big corporations are already supplying all the material. … They are stealing the work of artists. We know from the Tiktok story that many artists have been copied. That's really unfair. They lost the ability to make money from their jobs.
AI may make things easier, but it can also eliminate the pain driving creators, Krzeptowska argued. “It all becomes easier if the AI means that you can click a button and write that prompt. Where is the effort? Where is the pain?
Sebara Irgacheva, executive director of the European Film Agency Directors Association, emphasized that the film industry has long been dealing with technological and political challenges. “Sound has changed the film industry. CGI, digital has changed the film industry,” she said. “Of course, AI is the next step.”
However, the speed of new technology and the shift in earthquakes creates special challenges. “The difficulty with this step right now is that the tools are so accessible that anyone can easily create them,” she said. “However, the tools that exist today are built on existing content without the concept of an author.”
And more questions will arise in the near future. “What is the boundary between AI-assisted work, the work that AI is used as a tool and the work that is generated by AI?” she emphasized. “This line can be very thin, and not even 10 years from now. These questions will only arise in the next two or five years.”
Regarding the EU's AI law and other efforts to regulate it, Irgacheva reiterated that “laws seem to be always behind.” However, enforcement and education are key to making existing regulations effective. “It's important to remind people about AI that copyright must be respected as it is included in the AI Act. However, even if there is no mention of copyright protection in the AI Act, it should still be respected. This law still applies.”
Panelists highlighted that technology companies often warn of the possibility that AI regulations could curb innovation, and argue that copyright and other frameworks have not so far improved past Internet and other technological innovations.
Clemen Dvornik, a board member of the European Federation of Screen Directors, pointed out Sean Baker's success and attention tangerinehe made it on an iPhone. “There's a gimmick and everyone wants to go in the same direction,” he said. “But there's only one Sean Baker. tangerine. There aren't many tangerine-s. ”
That said, “We can give people the opportunity to show their voice, their creativity and find ways to use new tools that can be used to make films and new types of filmmaking. “Everyone will try it out. Most importantly, AI will maintain the tools that support us. For example, post-production can make things easier and faster. Not only job losses, but opportunities also pose challenges.”
But economics focuses. “The question is, is it still economically viable?” the expert said. “Because I think that content generated by AI sucks money. …I think that AI-influenced content and maid content is flooding the commercial market and sucks a lot of money.”
What Dvornik is also concerned about is that the role of AI in the “long process” of filmmaking could rise. “I did my own thing [latest] I've been filming films with many people for seven years. “You have a lot of collaborators,” he said.
