Every day across Hollywood, scores of people read through scripts on behalf of studios, trying to find the diamonds in the rough among the many thousands sent in every year. Each script runs up to 150 pages, and it can take half a day to read one and write up a summary. With only about 50 of these scripts selling in a given year, readers are trained to be ruthless.
Lights, camera, AI: Now the tech company Cinelytic, which works with major studios like Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures, aims to offer script feedback with generative AI. It launched a new tool called Callaia that analyzes scripts. Using AI, it takes Callaia less than a minute to write its own “coverage,” which includes a synopsis, a list of comparable films, grades for areas like dialogue and originality, and actor recommendations. Read more from James O’Donnell here.
Bits and Bytes
California’s governor has vetoed the state’s sweeping AI legislation
Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed SB 1047, a bill that required pre-deployment safety testing of large AI systems, and gave the state’s attorney general the right to sue AI companies for serious harm. He said he thought the bill focused too much on the largest models without considering broader harms and risks. Critics of AI’s rapid growth have expressed dismay at the decision. (The New York Times)
Sorry, AI won’t “fix” climate change
OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman claims AI will deliver an “Intelligence Age,” unleashing “unimaginable” prosperity and “astounding triumphs” like “fixing the climate.” But tech breakthroughs alone can’t solve global warming. In fact, as it stands, AI is making the problem much worse. (MIT Technology Review)
How turning OpenAI into a real business is tearing it apart
In yet another organizational shakeup, the startup lost its CTO Mira Murati and other senior leaders. OpenAI is riddled with chaos that stems from its CEO’s push to transform it from a nonprofit research lab into a for-profit organization. Insiders say this shift has “corrupted” the company’s culture. (The Wall Street Journal)
Why Microsoft made a deal to help restart Three Mile Island
A once-shuttered nuclear plant could soon be used to power Microsoft’s massive investment in AI development. (MIT Technology Review)
OpenAI released its advanced voice mode to more people. Here’s how to get it.
The company says the updated version responds to your emotions and tone of voice, and allows you to interrupt it midsentence. (MIT Technology Review)
The FTC is cracking down on AI scams
The agency launched “Operation AI Comply” and says it will investigate AI-infused frauds and other types of deception, such as chatbots giving “legal advice,” AI tools that let people create fake online reviews, and false claims of huge earnings from AI-powered business opportunities.
(The FTC)
Want AI that flags hateful content? Build it.
A new competition promises $10,000 in prizes to anyone who can track hateful images online. (MIT Technology Review)