A man mourns the loss of his dead celebrity mom, who unexpectedly appears before him as a hologram in his childhood home, singing and strumming a guitar.<\/p>\n
The touching scene is from a new short film called \u201cSweetwater\u201d that has an unlikely backer: Google.<\/p>\n
Amid all the hand-wringing over artificial intelligence and the potential threat it poses to Hollywood and the creative community, the tech giant is looking to reframe the narrative with a 21-minute film that examines whether technology can help humans process grief in this new era of the digital age.<\/p>\n
Google set the stage for that discussion with a glitzy event at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Monday night. Actors, filmmakers, producers and entertainment workers packed a Los Angeles theater to watch \u201cSweetwater,\u201d starring Michael Keaton and Kyra Sedgwick.<\/p>\n
Google commissioned \u201cSweetwater\u201d with Santa Monica-based talent management firm Range Media Partners to explore the complex relationship between AI and humanity. <\/p>\n
The Mountain View company has a vested interest in painting AI in a more favorable light. The YouTube owner is a major investor<\/a> and partner in the AI firm Anthropic, which itself has been the target of lawsuits<\/a> over accusations of copyright infringement in the arts<\/a>. In addition to its partnership with Anthropic, Google is separately developing its own AI tools, including Gemini and Project Astra.<\/p>\n \u201cThe goal right now is not to specifically be selling their product,\u201d said Robert Thompson, director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University. \u201cThe goal right now is to be creating a world where people are comfortable supporting AI, using it with no fear, with no critical qualms whatsoever, like we dove into social media \u2026 I think that\u2019s been a tougher task with AI.\u201d<\/p>\n Depictions of the digital afterlife in shows such as \u201cBlack Mirror\u201d can feel bleak, foreshadowing a dystopian future where people get resurrected from the grave as chatbots and robots. <\/p>\n In \u201cSweetwater,\u201d a hologram of the deceased mom tugs at the heartstrings of viewers, hinting at the possibility that AI could be used to digitally preserve a loved one or provide comfort to those who are grieving. <\/p>\n \u201cIt just poses the question, I haven\u2019t even really resolved it for myself,\u201d said Sean Douglas, Keaton\u2019s son and the film\u2019s writer, in an interview. \u201cIf presented with this possibility, would you want that \u2014 and what are the parameters of how real an experience like this can be?\u201d <\/p>\n The rise of artificial intelligence has prompted conversations and criticism about the impact of the technology, including how it could change the way people experience the world.<\/p>\n Hollywood is reckoning with similar questions as storytellers bring up fears about copyright violations<\/a>, compensation and the risk of AI competing with actors<\/a>, writers<\/a> and artists for work. Technology has made it possible to bring back actors, writers and musicians from the dead in digital form<\/a>. Some people already use chatbots like therapists<\/a>. <\/p>\n Tech companies such as Google that provide AI assistants and products to generate images, text and video market their tools as a way to help creative people<\/a>, not replace them. <\/p>\n Google\u2019s AI products don\u2019t appear in the \u201cSweetwater\u201d film, although the company does have a holographic 3D communication technology called Google Beam<\/a> that uses AI.<\/p>\n Consumers are split on whether AI will help or harm creativity, according to a report<\/a> from the Pew Research Center. Roughly 53% think AI will worsen people\u2019s ability to think creatively while 16% say increased use of AI will make this better. Others aren\u2019t sure or thought it would be neither better nor worse.<\/p>\n Neil Parris, head of strategic content partnerships for Google\u2019s film and television 100 Zeros initiative<\/a>, said as people see a variety of AI stories \u2014 some less dystopian \u2014 it could expand how they think about the use of technology.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s meant to empower human creativity,\u201d said Parris, who executive produced the short film. \u201cIt will evolve and shape the jobs that people have in the creative process as any technology has over the course of the history of filmmaking.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSweetwater\u201d first premiered in September in New York but its distribution hasn\u2019t been finalized . The filmmakers said they\u2019re also open to making it longer. <\/p>\n The panel discussion about the film also shined a spotlight on the tension between humans and machines.<\/p>\n \u201cI was excited about the prospect of an actor playing AI instead of AI playing an actor. I thought that was a good thing,\u201d said Sedgwick as the audience applauded.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, many Hollywood actors were outraged when the creator behind an AI-generated character, Tilly Norwood<\/a>, announced Norwood would soon be signed to a talent agency. The AI character could be used to act in films and TV shows, roles that could directly compete against human actors.<\/p>\n Keaton, who also directed the film, said that while he isn\u2019t the most tech savvy, curiosity and the opportunity to work with his son led him to direct and star in the film, but it\u2019s not meant to be a commercial for AI.<\/p>\n The \u201cGoogle folks\u201d were \u201cgreat,\u201d he said on stage Monday, but the actor also expressed concerns about the impact of AI on jobs and equity. <\/p>\n