How will AI shape African film storytelling

Mfundo Ntsibande, managing director, Translucent Media, asks if the creative, film, and production economy is ready for the radical transformation brought about by Artificial

Intelligence (Image supplied)

While it offers the potential to democratise access to innovative tools and reduce production costs (including those that assist in scriptwriting, editing, visual effects, and distribution), it also raises urgent questions about ownership, job displacement, loss of artistic originality, authenticity, and cultural preservation.

In the creative ecosystem, which is rich in tradition, diverse cultures, and emerging talent, the question is not whether AI will shape African storytelling, but how it will, and who gets to decide.

Urgent dialogue

We need an urgent dialogue that will include the actors, content creators, advertisers, broadcasters, tech companies, and government policy makers to provide insight on how the sector can be regulated where the lines are blurred.

Copyright infringements, legal ethics, and most importantly, the film production sector being wiped out due to technology or the lack of adaptation, could be the worst scenario if the industry doesn’t open a dialogue about the risks and advantages of adopting AI in their work.

There is also an opportunity for the creative/film industries to adapt to dynamic technology, which is likely to reduce production durations, generate AI scripts tailored to the target audience, and minimise production costs and other unnecessary processes.

We should host a masterclass or dialogue to alleviate the fears among actors and the creative economy, highlighting the opportunities between tech companies, the government, and the content production sector.

Unfortunately, our government and film sector bodies are reactive rather than proactive on such issues.

What can be done

What do I think our government, industry, and legislation should do to protect our content creators, brands, and the actors' industry versus AI?

1. Define the role of AI in brand association, scripting, creative, production, and concept development.

2. Outline ethical boundaries and human-AI collaboration, ownership.

3. Highlight copyright in AI-generated content and brand collaborations

A long over due conversation

This conversation is long overdue, along with creatives, broadcasters, advertisers, and tech companies.

With advanced cellphone technologies that can be used as production tools, the film industry must not be a passive consumer of global AI trends and the creative economy, but rather shape them.

These ethical pathways for innovation honour human interactions and the creative craft.