Using AI for new visual storytelling techniques in VR

Artificial intelligence is becoming an increasingly important tool within the artistic community to foster visual creativity. Two frequently used techniques are generative adversarial networks (GANs), which can generate visually realistic images, and style transfer, which can turn photos or videos into works of art by applying the artistic qualities of one image style -- such as a painting -- to other images and videos. At Facebook AI Research (FAIR), we wanted to investigate further how artists and professionals typically trained to work with CGI special effects can use these types of tools. Specifically, we set out to answer the following question: Can AI-generated imagery be relevant in the context of directing and producing an immersive film in VR? The goal of our collaboration was to study whether we could generate special effects with AI techniques that were good enough to be part of the final film.