Perry says studio expansion ‘indefinitely on hold’ due to AI

Tyler Perry said that an around $800 million expansion of his studio is “indefinitely on hold” due to the possibilities offered by artificial intelligence, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

OpenAI’s Sora model produces videos based on text prompts, and while this type of capability will likely revolutionize the content creation industry, opening a world of possibilities and cost savings, it will also likely lead to some people losing their jobs.

“I have been watching AI very closely and watching the advancements very closely. I was in the middle of, and have been planning for the last four years, about an $800 million expansion at the studio, which would’ve increased the backlot a tremendous size, we were adding 12 more soundstages. All of that is currently and indefinitely on hold because of Sora and what I’m seeing. I had gotten word over the last year or so that this was coming, but I had no idea until I saw recently the demonstrations of what it’s able to do. It’s shocking to me,” Perry said, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

“I think of all of the construction workers and contractors who are not going to be employed because I’m not doing this next phase of the studio because there is no need to do it,” he said.

Perry noted that AI could enable him to avoid traveling to film at locations because a text prompt can be used to generate a desired scene.

“I no longer would have to travel to locations. If I wanted to be in the snow in Colorado, it’s text. If I wanted to write a scene on the moon, it’s text, and this AI can generate it like nothing. If I wanted to have two people in the living room in the mountains, I don’t have to build a set in the mountains, I don’t have to put a set on my lot. I can sit in an office and do this with a computer, which is shocking to me,” he noted.

“It makes me worry so much about all of the people in the business. Because as I was looking at it, I immediately started thinking of everyone in the industry who would be affected by this, including actors and grip and electric and transportation and sound and editors, and looking at this, I’m thinking this will touch every corner of our industry,” Perry said, according to the outlet.

Sora has not yet been rolled out to the general public. “Sora is becoming available to red teamers to assess critical areas for harms or risks. We are also granting access to a number of visual artists, designers, and filmmakers to gain feedback on how to advance the model to be most helpful for creative professionals,” OpenAI notes on its website.