Tyler Perry has put his $800 million studio expansion on hold after realizing the capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI).
The famous artist said his experience with AI’s Sora forced a pause in his plans to add 12 sound stages to his 330-acre property, according to a Thursday interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
“I feel like everybody in the industry is running a hundred miles an hour to try and catch up, to try and put in guardrails,” he said.
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Perry’s plans have been in the works for four years, but he’s unsure about whether or not he will move forward. The famous actor and filmmaker was amazed by the technology released Feb. 15 and realized the impact it would inevitably have on the future of his development.
“Being told that it can do all of these things is one thing, but actually seeing the capabilities, it was mind-blowing,” he told the publication. He noted he no longer needed to travel to locations or build sets with the emergence of this technology.
“If I wanted to be in the snow in Colorado, it’s text. If I wanted to write a scene on the moon, it’s text, and this AI can generate it like nothing,” Perry said.
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“If I wanted to have two people in the living room in the mountains, I don’t have to build a set in the mountains. I don’t have to put a set on my lot. I can sit in an office and do this with a computer, which is shocking to me.”
“I had no idea until I saw recently the demonstrations of what it’s able to do,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.
When it came to his ability to create art, Perry said the advancements were incredibly helpful, but he said he had growing concerns from a labor and employment perspective.
“There’s got to be some sort of regulations in order to protect us. If not, I just don’t see how we survive,” he said.
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“Because as I was looking at it, I immediately started thinking of everyone in the industry who would be affected by this, including actors and grip and electric and transportation and sound and editors, and looking at this, I’m thinking this will touch every corner of our industry.”
Perry has used AI in two of his films and elaborated on the convenience of the new technology.
s”That kept me out of makeup for hours. In post and on set, I was able to use this AI technology to avoid ever having to sit through hours of aging makeup,” he said.
“Everything right now is so up in the air. It’s so malleable.” (RELATED: ‘I’d Worry If It Could F*ck’: Ice-T Shares His Thoughts On An AI Version Of Himself)