AI Pros and Cons in Focus at Iberseries: “This Technology Leaves Creators Behind”

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been all the rage, and a reason to start raging about their impact for some, in Hollywood. So it was no surprise that Iberseries & Platino Industria put new technologies, led by AI, but also digital doubles, center stage on its fourth and final day.

The big event for Spanish- and Portuguese-language content in Madrid, Spain featured a session with experts to explore opportunities and risks. The panelists were Clara Ruipérez, director of legal strategy for content, brands and digital transformation at Telefonica, Ignacio Lacosta, founder of XReality Studios, Undersecretary of Culture Carmen Páez, Óscar Olarte, co-founder & CEO of Mr Factory, and Curro Royo, screenwriter (HBO/Max Spain series Like Water for Chocolate) and vp of DAMA, which manages the remuneration rights for audiovisual creators in Spain.

“This technology leaves creators behind,” warned Royo. “The monster has been fed with our work,” and “it has come to stay.” He called for protections for creatives and their works and a discussion about financial compensation for those impacted, asking: “What remains for us?”

He also said AI “recycles and regurgitates,” quipping that if machines wrote movies, “only machines would watch them.”

Representatives from AI companies naturally were much more positive on the technology and its benefits. “The goal is increasing creative possibilities and reducing costs,” said Olarte, also highlighting the opportunity to produce more projects set in (virtual) international places, thereby potentially opening them up to a more global audience.

However, he did acknowledge that the legal framework of regulation must be updated for the age of AI to avoid “gaps” in the rules. And he warned that “there is a bubble like with the metaverse,” suggesting a more rational than exuberant approach.

“We shouldn’t be afraid of AI,” said Lacosta. “Those are tools we should learn how to use” instead of worrying about job losses.

Páez said content owners need to be paid, and she warned that broad definitions for the financial benefits of AI are needed to avoid short-sighted conclusions. “If there are lawsuits, you may not cut costs,” she said.

“The legal framework is insufficient” for AI right now, but filling holes too quickly can be risky given the fast pace of development of the technology, argued Ruipérez. Also, “recreating spaces or people is different,” she added, concluding: “So, it is great to have debates like this.”

Earlier in the week, Platino Educa, the educational platform of the event, screened the new film Artificial Justice (Justicia Artificial) from Spain and Portugal. Written and directed by Simón Casal, it stars Verónica Echegui, Tamar Novas, Alba Galocha and Alberto Ammann.

“In the near future, the government aims to replace judges with artificial intelligence software, pledging to effectively automate and depoliticize the justice system,” explains a synopsis. “Carmen Costa, a distinguished judge, has been invited to assess this new procedure. However, when the software’s creator is found dead, she realizes her life is in danger.” So, one key question raised by the movie is this: Would you rather be judged in court by a human or by artificial intelligence?