Khaberni - Indonesia has taken a bold step towards the future, as the Indonesian film industry has begun to employ artificial intelligence technologies to produce massive films with Hollywood quality and at a much lower cost.
This comes at a time when the world continues to debate the impact of artificial intelligence on creativity.
The accelerated transformation came after "OpenAI" launched the new version of the Sora 2 video model, capable of producing high-resolution clips with realistic sound and accurate simulation of motion and physics, which the company described as a "historic turning point" in the world of AI video production.
Artificial intelligence opens doors for filmmakers
Indonesian academic Bisma Fabio Santapodi from the Nusantara Multimedia University believes his country "stands on the edge of a radical transformation," adding that "Sora 2 gives creators the opportunity to experiment with their ideas freely without the constraints of huge budgets," according to a report published by "restofworld" and reviewed by "Alarabiya Business".
The other side of this development poses clear challenges; as reliance on tools like Runway, Midjourney, and ChatGPT increases, some individuals working in animation, scriptwriting, and visual effects are losing their jobs to algorithms.
Hollywood in the Indonesian style
The film industry in Indonesia is experiencing a significant revival, with local box office revenues exceeding $400 million in 2023, becoming the fastest-growing in Southeast Asia.
"Netflix" has pumped investments into producing local content, while thousands of creators are integrating artificial intelligence tools into editing, designing, and scriptwriting processes.
Some of them use ChatGPT to write dialogues, others rely on Runway to generate experimental shots or initial Storyboard clips, while visual effects (VFX) makers save about 70% of work time thanks to AI-supported automation.
Fears of losing the spirit of art
Some filmmakers believe that artificial intelligence films lack soul.
Writer Bayu Kornia Prasetya says: "Film is an art, it must carry human emotions, AI films are too perfect, flawless, and lifeless."
Nevertheless, reality imposes itself: producing a film like Critterz, which is the first full-length animated film produced using "OpenAI" technologies, cost only 30 million dollars and nine months of work, compared to $200 million and four years needed by "Pixar" to produce "Toy Story 3".
Jobs born from technology
More than 200,000 entertainment jobs in Hollywood will be affected by artificial intelligence by 2026, according to estimates from artistic associations in the United States.
Experts predict that the loss of some jobs will be offset by the emergence of new roles in the art direction of artificial intelligence.
At Nusantara University, two new study courses in AI film production have already been introduced, indicating that the shift has become official and institutional.
Awards and festivals for AI films
The Indonesian film "Nusantara," which was produced entirely using artificial intelligence tools, won the best documentary prize at a European festival dedicated to AI films.
This year, Bali also hosted the first international festival for films produced by artificial intelligence, with dozens of works from around the world participating.
While production studios accelerate the pace of work with AI tools, directors and creators still try to balance between speed and accuracy on one hand, and humanity and artistic sense on the other.
As one storyboard creator Harul Almi says: "When the world reaches the saturation point of automated content, the value of manual work will shine anew."
