Ashton Kutcher Envisions Future of Movie-Making with OpenAI's Sora During Beta Test

Ashton Kutcher has been experimenting with OpenAI's Sora and finds the tool "pretty amazing." He envisions a future where AI advancements will enable the creation of entire movies using AI. Kutcher's venture capital firm has invested in AI startups like OpenAI and Anthropic.

Ashton Kutcher Predicts AI-Generated Movies with OpenAI's Sora

Hollywood actor and venture capitalist Ashton Kutcher envisions a future where entire movies will be created using AI tools like OpenAI's Sora. Speaking at an event organized by the Berggruen Institute in Los Angeles, Kutcher shared his experience with the new video generation tool from the makers of ChatGPT.

"I have a beta version of it, and it's pretty amazing," said Kutcher, whose venture capital firm, Sound Ventures, has invested in OpenAI. "You can generate any footage you want, creating realistic 10 to 15-second videos." While Sora still has some limitations, such as occasional mistakes and an imperfect understanding of physics, Kutcher noted its significant progress over the past year. He believes some footage generated by Sora could easily be used in major motion pictures or television shows.

Kutcher highlighted the potential cost savings for the film industry. "Why would you shoot an establishing shot of a house for a TV show when you could create it for $100 with Sora? Filming it would cost thousands," he explained. He foresees a future where AI tools like Sora could render entire movies. "You could come up with a movie idea, the AI would write the script, and then you could input it into the video generator to produce the film," he said.

Kutcher, a long-time advocate for AI, revealed that Sound Ventures had raised $243 million for an AI-focused fund. Besides investing in OpenAI, his firm has backed other AI startups like Anthropic, which is supported by Amazon. "We've been investing in AI for the last seven years, but GPT's launch was a breakthrough," Kutcher told Bloomberg Television in May 2023.

Representatives for Kutcher and OpenAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment. An excerpt of Kutcher's remarks was initially uploaded to the Berggruen Institute's YouTube channel but has since been made private. The institute also did not respond to requests for comment.

AI Sparks Division in Hollywood

The emergence of AI has sparked significant debate in Hollywood and the broader entertainment industry. 

Last year, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the actors' union SAG-AFTRA went on strike, highlighting issues such as fair compensation and the potential threat AI poses to their careers. Members of both groups feared that studios might use AI to replace writers and actors in their productions.

These strikes were resolved in September and November after studios reached agreements with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, respectively.

Following the launch of OpenAI's Sora in February, filmmaker and actor Tyler Perry announced he was pausing his studio expansion plans, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. "There needs to be regulations to protect us. Without them, I don't see how we survive," Perry stated.

However, some industry leaders believe that fears about AI overtaking Hollywood are exaggerated. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos told The New York Times, "I don't believe that an AI program can write a better screenplay than a great writer or replace a great performance. We will still be able to tell the difference." He added, "AI won't take your job. The person who uses AI well might take your job."