'How Can It Be...?' Emily Blunt Opposes Hollywood's Reliance On Algorithms

Emily Blunt criticised the influence of algorithms on movie-making. (Photo Credits: Instagram)

While artificial intelligence has witnessed a boom in the last few years in the field of technology, it also seems to have some way to go in the filmmaking process. This is not about movies being created with the use of AI but how film companies have entered the AI game. From analysing scripts to predicting box office success, AI has smoothly infiltrated the movie industry with people in favour of its benefits.

Amid the rising AI indulgence, Hollywood actress Emily Blunt strongly opposed the idea of unnecessarily relying on algorithms for the decisions.

Ahead of the release of her upcoming film The Fall Guy, Emily Blunt along with her co-star Ryan Gosling appeared for the Vanity Fair Italy cover story and spoke about the recent rise in algorithm-driven decision-making.

Making a direct reference to Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-winning film Oppenheimer, Blunt claimed that a film like that would not have been made if the producers had trusted the algorithm blindly.

Emily Blunt slams Hollywood’s obsession with algorithms

“Some new things frustrate me: algorithms, for example. I hate that f**king word; excuse the expletive! How can it be associated with art and content? How can we let it determine what will be successful and what will not?” she said, further citing the example of the Cillian Murphy starrer.

“Let me explain with an example. I was in a three-hour film about a physicist, which had that impact — the algorithms probably wouldn’t have grasped it. My hope is that ‘Oppenheimer’ and similar projects are not considered anomalies, that we stop translating creative experience into diagrams,” reports quoted the actress as saying.

Gosling also joined in the conversation further reflecting on the positive side of algorithms as he explained that such algorithms have forced him to be more human. “You can’t beat an algorithm at its job. This paradoxically forces me to be more human to choose more human-made projects, based on personal experiences, our footprints, and our stories,” he said.

Speaking of Oppenheimer, Nolan’s directorial turned out to be one of the biggest films of 2023, surpassing the expectations of many for such a tense biographical drama. The film not only grossed millions at the worldwide box office but also bagged prestigious awards including the Oscar.