In a major move for artificial intelligence company Stability AI, the company has announced that Avatar, Terminator and Titanic director James Cameron will join its board of directors.
Stability AI is the company that developed the Stable Diffusion text-to-image generation AI model, an image- and video-focused model that has caught the attention of many in Hollywood, particularly the visual effects industry.
Indeed, Stability AI CEO Prem Akkaraju is no stranger to the industry, having previously served as CEO of visual effects company WETA Digital, while former Facebook president and Napster founder Sean Parker recently became chairman of the AI company’s board.
As a director, Cameron has long been passionate about pushing the boundaries of technical possibility in filmmaking (though anyone who’s seen the Terminator series knows he’s also well versed in the pitfalls of technology gone haywire).
He was one of the first directors to embrace the possibilities of computer-generated visual effects, and he has continued to push the field forward as a whole through his films, most recently Avatar: The Way of Water.
“Throughout my career, I’ve sought out new technologies that push the boundaries of what’s possible, all in the name of telling great stories,” Cameron said in a statement. “I was at the forefront of CGI over 30 years ago and have been at the forefront ever since. Now, the intersection of generative AI and CGI image creation is the next wave. The marriage of these two very different creation engines will enable new ways for artists to tell stories in ways never before imagined. Stability AI is poised to lead this transformation, and I’m excited to work with Sean, Prem and the Stability AI team to shape the future of all visual media.”
In his statement, Akkaraju called the role a transformative one for the company, which is one of several looking to harness the power of generative AI in the creative sector.
“James Cameron lives in the future, and he’s waiting for us to catch up,” Akkaraju said in a statement. “Stability AI’s mission is to transform visual media for the next century by providing creators with a full-stack AI pipeline to bring their ideas to life. Having a technical and creative visionary like James at the highest levels of our company gives us an unparalleled advantage to achieve this goal. This is a monumental statement not only for Stability AI, but for the entire AI industry.”
Stability AI raised $80 million earlier this year, with Akkaraju taking on the role of CEO and Parker taking on the role of chairman of the board.
“James Cameron is a legend both for his artistic vision as a filmmaker and his role as a pioneering technologist,” Parker added in a statement. “Having an artist of his calibre on board marks the beginning of a new chapter for Stability AI. We’re incredibly excited about the endless possibilities for creative collaboration between our generative media platform and the artistic community.”
Hollywood has a love-hate relationship with AI technology: On the one hand, companies are embracing the technology — Lionsgate inked a deal this month to partner with Runway to develop custom models trained on its content — and NBCUniversal used AI tools to create an AI-generated Al Michaels during this year’s Paris Olympics.
Meanwhile, many creators and Hollywood companies have filed or threatened to file lawsuits over concerns that some AI companies may have trained their models on their content without permission.
