AI studies storytelling in movies to learn about emotions

Machines could soon be writing the latest Hollywood blockbuster, thanks to a breakthrough in teaching AI about narrative arcs in storytelling. Experts trained machine learning algorithms to recognise positive and negative emotions through thousands of hours of video footage, including Pixar's Up. By the end of the process, the neural networks were able to predict an audience response to a film on a second by second basis. The technique could be used to create AI systems that are capable of generating their own tear-jerkers. Machines could soon be writing the latest Hollywood blockbuster, thanks to a breakthrough in teaching AI about narrative arcs in storytelling. Experts trained algorithms to recognise positive and negative emotions through thousands of hours of footage, including Pixar's Up As part of its training, the AI looked at the famous opening sequence of Up, a 3D computer-animated film that was a critical and popular hit in 2009.