SODERBERGH DEFENDS AI VISUALS IN NEW JOHN LENNON DOCUMENTARY

In his latest documentary exploring the final hours of John Lennon, Academy Award winner Steven Soderbergh integrates AI-generated visuals to represent roughly a tenth of the film, a creative choice he believes would have resonated with the innovative spirit of the legendary musician.

Centered on the profound radio interview conducted just twelve hours before Lennon’s tragic assassination in New York, the project utilizes artificial intelligence to illustrate the more abstract concepts discussed by Lennon and Yoko Ono. While the industry remains locked in a heated debate over the ethics of AI—highlighted by the Academy’s recent implementation of stricter eligibility requirements—Soderbergh remains firm in his decision to use the technology to bridge the gap between spoken word and cinematic imagery.

“So now we’ve got it kind of laid out in chapters and we begin to fill in the areas in which John and Yoko are speaking about a specific experience that they had, or a specific piece of music, or a specific person, and layer in archival material over that text – sometimes stills, sometimes motion, video,” Soderbergh told Deadline.

“And we have a version of the movie in which the only holes that remain now are the sections where John and Yoko are talking in abstract philosophical terms.”

With “10 per cent” of the entire film made up of this audio, Soderbergh said that they wanted to come up with images that “enhance what they’re saying but is metaphorical”.

“So we’re starting to experiment with AI, trying to see if we can build some images that’ll fit alongside this text,” he said. “I’m trying to articulate ideas that will result in something interesting, and we’re running out of money.”

As a result, Soderbergh and his crew teamed up with the tech company Meta to create the AI-Generated scenes. “They said, ‘Well, this is good timing because we really would like and need a filmmaker to stress test some of these tools that we’re working on. And if you agree to be a test case for us, we will provide the tech and finish the movie.’ So I said, “Yeah, let’s do that.”

He said that AI is a “very emotional subject”, but defended the film’s use of it, saying that it is not being used in a way that would replace human endeavour.

“There’s a way of using AI in which your intention is to fool somebody or manipulate them, to create an image that you want them to think is real. And then there’s a use, which is what we’re doing in the documentary, where it’s obvious that it is AI and that it is being used essentially in the way that you would use VFX or CGI or any sort of non-photographic technology.”

The director further mentioned consulting with Sean Ono Lennon to gauge his perspective on how his father might have reacted to the implementation of this modern technology. “And he said, ‘Oh, he would’ve wanted to engage.’ He loved all new technology. All The Beatles did,” said the filmmaker.

“He would want to play with it just to see what it could do. He goes, ‘That was the way he was.’ How he would’ve felt about it ultimately, we’ll never know, but he said he would’ve wanted to play with it.”

Over the weekend, the Academy Awards revised their eligibility criteria for films and talent, decreeing that only performances clearly delivered by human beings with their explicit permission will be qualified for Oscar consideration.

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