AI Isn't Hollywood's Villain--It's a Flawed Hero

Disruption is one of the few constants in the history of cinema. Early film theorists considered silent cinema a universal language until "talkies" transformed storytelling for the big screen. The domestic proliferation of TV after World War II drew audiences away from theaters and in the process helped dismantle the old studio system. The "digital revolution" has recalibrated where, when, and how we watch, even as it has caused cinephiles to mourn the loss of celluloid. Joining this line of creative destruction, the rise of AI-enabled (or "synthetic") media suggests that cinema is, once again, under threat.