Another notable issue is the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and the impact it could have on script writing. The guild wants assurances that humans will still get work, no matter how clever or creative these AI systems will become.

In December 2017, a user named "DeepFakes" posted realistic looking explicit videos of famous celebrities on Reddit. He generated these fake videos using deep learning, the latest in AI, to insert celebrities' faces into adult movies. In the following weeks, the internet exploded with articles about the dangers of face swapping technology: harassing innocents, propagating fake news, and hurting the credibility of video evidence forever. In this post, I explore the capabilities of this tech, describe how it works, and discuss potential applications. DeepFakes offers the ability to swap one face for another in an image or a video.

"You brought a friend with you here, and this is really freaking me out," the Tonight Show host tells David Hanson, CEO of Hanson Robotics, before inspecting the humanoid robot on stage. Sophia raises an eyebrow while looking out past the two men on stage. Hanson explains what Sophia does: It's a social robot that uses artificial intelligence to see people, understand conversation, and form relationships. "So she's basically alive; is that what you're saying?" Fallon asks, in half a whisper. "Oh yeah, she is basically alive," Hanson responds, then turning the robot to Fallon for a short conversation.

An eerily realistic robot with a sassy sense of humour pitted her wits against one of America's top TV personalities. Sophia took to the stage of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to share a joke or two with the comedian. But audiences may be divided in their feelings about the robot, with some viewing Sophia as'attractive' while others may feel uncomfortable. Eerily realistic robot Sophia (right) has a sassy sense of humour and her wits against one of America's top TV personalities Jimmy Fallon (left), who seemed charmed by the android. Sophia is the creation of American robotics expert David Hanson, who believes that artificial lifeforms can foster better connections with people if they take on a human form.