The advertisement for the new iPad Pro, in which various objects representing human creativity are crushed and replaced by the new tablet from Apple, caused a wave of anger among actors and other Hollywood artists, reports the AFP agency, quoted by de Agerpres.
iPad ProPhoto: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia
“The destruction of the human experience, thanks to Silicon Valley”, reacted the British actor Hugh Grant, on the “X” network (formerly Twitter). Hugh Grant published this post in response to the message of Tim Cook, the head of Apple, who presented the company’s new tablets on Tuesday.
“Here’s the new iPad Pro: the thinnest product we’ve ever created, the most advanced screen we’ve ever produced, with the incredible power of the M4 chip. Imagine all the things it will create,” Cook said.
Apple talked very little about AI on Tuesday and didn’t mention generative artificial intelligence, but the technology — which makes it possible to produce a wide range of content (text, images, video, music and more) at a simple plain-language request — is raising eyebrows. concern among artists.
Hollywood actors and screenwriters went on strike last year, with one of their main demands being protection against generative AI. The strike officially ended only after 6 months of negotiations, a situation that produced massive disruptions in the production of films and series.
The ad that angered Hollywood artists
In the Apple ad, a metronome, cans of paint, a piano, a jukebox, a mannequin, a globe, a sculpture, cameras, books and many other objects are slowly crushed by a giant hydraulic press. It then rises to reveal, instead of musical instruments and other creative objects, an iPad Pro.
All to the sound of nostalgic pop song “All I Ever Need is You” by Sonny & Cher.
“Who needs human life and everything that makes it worth living? Immerse yourself in this digital simulation and give us your soul. Sincerely, Apple,” Ed Solomon, the screenwriter of the films, wrote in an ironic message posted on “X” Men in Black.
Numerous authors and artists have filed complaints against big players in this sector, such as OpenAI (ChatGPT), accusing them of using their works without their consent to train their generative AI models.
Reed Morano, who directed the first episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale, producer Cheo Hodari Coker (Creed II, Luke Cage) and actress and filmmaker Justine Bateman (Family Ties, Desperate Housewives, Californication) were also among those who reacted to the Apple ad.
In fact, Bateman shared a version of the ad, which runs in reverse, with the message Tim Cook, “someone corrected your ad.” Apple did not immediately respond to a request from AFP.
