The future of Hollywood isn't about feeding vanilla gen AI models; it's about leveraging their potential with human ingenuity. At this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, filmmakers showcased how AI can be a valuable tool for enhancing artistic projects rather than replacing them.

Projects like Google DeepMind’s Dear Upstairs Neighbors, which enlisted Pixar veteran Connie Qin He and Yingzong Xin to create concept art, demonstrated that custom training of models can yield visually stunning results. These artists fine-tuned their outputs with traditional techniques, ensuring that the finished product was both cohesive and compelling.

Other films, such as Alice Gu’s Smoked, struggled more visibly with gen AI limitations. While the fiery scenes were photorealistic in close-ups, wide shots appeared cartoony, highlighting the ongoing challenges of generating consistent visuals at scale. The unseen narrator in OpenAI’s Mauvais Soleil made some of these limitations feel intentional, but it was still a reminder that even with advanced tools, human creativity remains essential.

In essence, these projects suggest that while gen AI can provide powerful assistance, its true potential lies in collaboration with human artists. Hollywood’s future isn’t about scripts written by bots, but about using AI to augment the artistic process and create something truly unique.