Khaberni - After finding himself sidelined and out of work due to a production slowdown last year, Hollywood visual effects veteran Michael Eng discovered a skills gap in his résumé while browsing job listings in Los Angeles, California, specifically in machine learning experience.
Eng turned to "Curious Refuge," an online educational institute teaching film production using artificial intelligence, in an attempt to reinvent his career amidst the rapid technological shift in the industry.
Since its launch in May 2023, the prestigious Curious Refuge Academy for AI in filmmaking has become a training center for Hollywood professionals rushing to adapt to the changes wrought by generative technologies in production, according to a report published by Reuters.
While some in the industry fear losing their jobs due to artificial intelligence, these shifts open new career paths for those aspiring to adapt.
Eng said about his immersion in artificial intelligence tools after being marginalized, "I somewhat accepted it. I dove right in."
Many in Hollywood still harbor fears of artificial intelligence, as exemplified by the appearance of AI-generated actress Tilly Norwood last year. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists condemned Norwood as a replacement for human actors.
The artificial intelligence skills school attracts 10,000 students
Data from "Curious Refuge" indicates that Eng is one of 10,000 students who attended courses or workshops to hone their skills.
The co-founders, Caleb and Shelby Ward, say that 95% of the current students are professionals in the entertainment or advertising industry seeking new skills as artificial intelligence solidifies its footing in Hollywood.
Others, like Petra Mollnar, are enthusiasts who managed to utilize artificial intelligence in finding new jobs.
Mollnar said she sees herself as a creative person, but she was unable to attend art school in her hometown of Budapest.
She was working as an oral health and dentistry specialist in London when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the dental clinic where she worked.
She used the time to explore her creative side, enrolling in courses. Initially, she studied digital product design and created her own app for dental health.
The emergence of AI chat software like ChatGPT and image generators like Midjourney led her to join "Curious Refuge," where she began attending training courses in 2023.
She found a new career in advertising using artificial intelligence to create promotional video clips, including a video for the artificial intelligence infrastructure company "White Fiber" displayed on a seven-story tall LED video display at Nasdaq in Times Square when "White Fiber" listed its shares on the stock market in September.
Mollnar said, "Artificial intelligence has really changed my life."
From a startup to a global center
"Curious Refuge" was founded in 2020 and began offering courses in documentary and narrative filmmaking with the help of artificial intelligence and in advertising in early 2023.
It now offers curricula in eleven different languages for students in 170 countries. Other educational institutions, like the Los Angeles Institute of Cinema, offer an online bachelor's degree in digital filmmaking, incorporating generative AI into their curricula.
The lessons at "Curious Refuge" are pre-recorded and available online for a fee, allowing each student to learn at their own pace and volume.
The instructors commit to weekly work hours to answer questions, and the institution holds regular meetings, including at the Cannes Film Festival and in major cities around the world.
Meanwhile, the "Discord" platform, popular among gamers and programmers, has become a virtual meeting place for the "Curious Refuge" community.
"Curious Refuge" offers training and workshops on artificial intelligence in studios that their founders could not identify due to non-disclosure agreements.
Caleb Ward, co-founder and CEO of Curious Refuge Academy, said, "We strive to build a solid foundation of understanding among all studio workers. This can be achieved using artificial intelligence. These are the creative possibilities. And these are some of the different points you can benefit from using this technology."
Artificial intelligence changes jobs
A study conducted in 2024 commissioned by the "Concept Art Association" and "Animation Guild" predicted that nearly 120,000 jobs in cinema, television, and animation would be eliminated, merged, or replaced by the end of this year due to generative artificial intelligence.
Some see parallels between the rise of generative AI and the emergence of "YouTube," which led to a new generation of storytellers.
Chris Jakimen, head of digital strategy for talent agency WME, said: "There will be some job losses and workforce displacement, but there will also be creation of new jobs and emergence of a new generation of storytellers, partly due to reduced financial barriers or because they are now capable of producing things that were previously unavailable to them."
Jakimen added, "I think Curious Refuge plays an important role as a specialized program in training filmmakers and storytellers on how to use the machine learning toolkit to their advantage."
"Curious Refuge" was acquired in February last year by Promis Entertainment using artificial intelligence, a prestigious startup backed by Andreessen Horowitz and North Road Studio managed by media veteran Peter Chernin.
The institution represents a talent pool for Promis, which is seeking artists, directors, and other creators knowledgeable in AI production techniques.
"Curious Refuge" will also be a valuable asset in the midst of Hollywood's heightened attention to the possibilities of generative artificial intelligence and the intensifying competition for talent.
Jimmy Pern, co-founder and head of Promis, noted, "We realized that there would be other film companies like us, but many traditional companies, distributors, and production companies would also seek to employ the same talents. So we thought a lot about how to ensure we had a suitable talent source within the company."
Pern said the increasing number of talents in the field of artificial intelligence will also contribute to accelerating its adoption in Hollywood.
Ive Bergkvist, project manager for artificial intelligence and neuroscience at the Southern California Entertainment Technology Center, described education as "the biggest opportunity in the field of artificial intelligence right now because this technology is extremely complex and fast-evolving. He praised the Curious Refuge educational programs and described them as 'excellent'."
For visual effects artist Eng, "Curious Refuge" has indeed opened new doors.
Eng, who also teaches a course in filmmaking using artificial intelligence at Studio Arts Professional Institute in Los Angeles, said: "I immediately began using the tools and started getting work right away."
