James Cameron Joins Company Promoting AI in Films

The director behind Avatar, The Terminator and Titanic is lending his name to the AI revolution.

James Cameron has joined the board of directors on Artificial intelligence company Stability AI, a firm responsible for text-to-image generative AI model Stable Diffusion. Hollywood has had its eye on text-to-image models for some time, especially with regards to visual effects, and Stability AI is a major player in the space.

Cameron says in a statement, “I’ve spent my career seeking out emerging technologies that push the very boundaries of what’s possible, all in the service of telling incredible stories. I was at the forefront of CGI over three decades ago, and I’ve stayed on the cutting edge since. Now, the intersection of generative AI and CGI image creation is the next wave. The convergence of these two totally different engines of creation will unlock new ways for artists to tell stories in ways we could have never imagined. Stability AI is poised to lead this transformation. I’m delighted to collaborate with Sean, Prem, and the Stability AI team as they shape the future of all visual media.”

Stability AI’s CEO is Prem Akkaraju. Like Cameron, he has experience with Hollywood visual effects, having previously served as the CEO of visual effects firm WETA Digital. Akkaraju says in a statement, “James Cameron lives in the future and waits for the rest of us to catch up. Stability AI’s mission is to transform visual media for the next century by giving creators a full stack AI pipeline to bring their ideas to life. We have an unmatched advantage to achieve this goal with a technological and creative visionary like James at the highest levels of our company. This is not only a monumental statement for Stability AI, but the AI industry overall.”

Cameron isn’t the only Hollywood name promoting AI. The Lord of the Rings star Andy Serkis has teased a new project featuring AI characters. He told a panel at the UK’s Labour Party conference about a “narrative driven story” involving 2D characters that “come out into the AR [augmented reality] world.” “At that point they become ‘AI characters’ authored by artists and directors.”

“It is another form of magic that is frightening people,” Serkis adds. “Even the biggest VFX companies are not creating as great things as individuals in their basements. It is much misunderstood, much maligned and lumped together in the same way that people probably felt the internet was going to destroy everyone’s lives.”