The new DCU will not feature artificial intelligence, DC Studios' co-CEO tells fans.
The DCU created by James Gunn is taking shape. The first television series and feature films in the new canon have already begun production, less than five months after the announcement of the first projects that would be part of the first phase of the new stage of the franchise, Gods & Monsters.
New stories will be written under Gunn and Peter Safran's direction, and several are already far advanced in the production process. This includes the spinoff of The Batman, The Penguin, and the Amanda Waller series. The most obvious example is the film Superman: Legacy, which has completed its first script draft and begun casting.
However, Creature Commandos, an animated series that will introduce a bizarre band of heroes to the new DCU, has made the most progress. Even though it wasn't designed to be a live-action adaptation, it will have direct ties to the other works, and the lead actors may get the chance to play the real-life equivalents of their characters in another production.
Some supporters, though, are worried about this. In response to a Twitter user who speculated that they will employ computer-generated voices for the animation projects, Gunn tweeted:
I wouldn't be surprised if the vocal roles in the DCU cartoons were AI produced from a licensed sound bank of the actor's voice, as the same actors who play the characters in live action also do voice acting for the cartoons.
"No way."
Artificial intelligence (AI) is now widely used in both the entertainment industry and everyday life. However, some worry about the consequences in the long run. During the opening weeks of the recent Hollywood writers' strike, speculation grew strongly that various studios were seriously considering finishing scripts using AI.
Among the first to express alarm about the potential impact of AI on the industry was Joe Russo, one of the filmmakers of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame:
People shouldn't be too confident in AI, in my opinion. The Drake'songs' that have been leaking into social media, if you haven't heard them yet, are here. Nothing will change that. When artists are involved and lead the way in the usage of technology (just consider James Cameron's entire oeuvre), the tools of production become instruments rather than obstacles for the creative process. It may be a different situation if businesses were the ones to push for the widespread implementation of such technology.
Tom Hanks also addressed the topic, saying that he hopes his acting career would live on after his death with the help of technology.
"With the help of artificial intelligence (AI) or deepfake technology, anyone may re-create themselves at any age they choose. Tomorrow could be my last day on earth, but performances can go on forever. Nothing can convince you that it's not just me unless you're familiar with artificial intelligence and deep fake. It will also have a certain amount of realism. That presents not just a creative but also a legal challenge.
