By Sergio Arkhipov
What if a director, cinematographer or screenwriter didn’t craft the next blockbuster you watched, but an algorithm? Once limited to assisting with minor production tasks, AI now plays a much larger role, from conceptualising stories to generating visuals and even editing entire sequences. Is this the dawn of a new creative era or the erosion of human artistry? This article explores both sides of the debate, using the 2023 AI-generated film “Last Stand” as a case study to illustrate the complex impact of AI on cinematic storytelling, production, and human creativity.
It would be foolish to say that this ginormous evolution or, dare I say, movement hasn’t affected the film industry. But would you be surprised if AI was used to either create the scenes themselves in post-production editing or even create the concepts and world that we witnessed on the big screen? We’re used to seeing glamorous scenes and expecting to think that a professional filmmaker has made them, but “In terms of current film and television production, many film and television production companies have increased their application of artificial intelligence to meet the development needs in the era of smart media’’ (Tursun M and Ting Y, 2025). AI, in this case, is a handy tool for young and new filmmakers to have a chance to have their film produced without fear of exceeding the assigned budget. The stress for new and younger directors to manage a feature-length film is also eliminated, as they don’t have to worry about how to shoot those very ambitious scenes that the writers have asked for.
One such example is the film “Last Stand” (2023), which was entirely produced by artificial intelligence. This film explores how world leaders would respond to the sudden appearance of extra-terrestrial life, to the point of showing our flaws in the fact that humanity will always fight for power, either amongst ourselves or even against life outside of our world. The way the AI used both its animations whilst combining real-world footage created a human-like nature of traditional films we’re used to seeing. It also reinforces its themes and focus: humanity and our greed for power. The use of news-like audio descriptions continues to create a sense of urgency and tension, as if it’s happening here and now, creating near-perfect realism in the film. All the points here serve as a perfect example of why AI would be an ideal addition to the industry.
However, not everyone agrees with the use of AI, as “Despite these developments, many in the industry believe that AI has not yet advanced to the point where it can create TV shows and films that meet audience expectations or effectively replace the human element in storytelling. This perspective is supported by renowned filmmaker James Cameron, who has expressed scepticism about the potential of AI in scriptwriting, emphasising the irreplaceable qualities of human creativity’’ (Crosby P and McKenzie J, 2025) If we look again at ‘Last Stand’ we see that it is entirely produced by AI, this means that there was no need to seek out any talent that is looking for work. Especially now, in an era where a lot of filmmakers are looking for work due to the recent strikes, the use of AI in this regard is worse for the industry, as both the collaboration and the human touch of the process are lost.
Overall, we can see that AI can be both a friend and an enemy to the film industry, depending solely on how it is used. If you let AI go rampant and implement it in every aspect of the industry, many lines of work and talent will be forced to quit and find work elsewhere. It also detracts from the film’s human touch and love for the craft that most films possess. However, if used correctly, it can not only help in small tasks during production but also speed it up in general, making it significantly cheaper to produce.
Bibliography
Crosby, P., McKenzie, J. 2025, ‘The reel deal? An experimental analysis of perception bias and AI film pitches. J Cult Econ. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10824-025-09534-4 [accessed 25 February 2025].
Tursun, M., and Y. Ting, ‘A Brief Discussion on the Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Film and Television Production in the Age of Smart Media’, Artificial Intelligence Technology Research, 2025 https://ojs.scineer-pub.com/index.php/AITR/article/viewFile/5733/5457 [accessed 25 February 2025].
Videography
Hashem Al-Ghaili 2023, Last Stand, YouTube, 30 March, Last Stand | Sci-Fi Short Film Made with Artificial Intelligence [accessed 25 February 2025].
Review