AI Can Critique Shakespeare but Can’t Write It, Russo Brothers’ AGBO Execs Tell Tokyo Market
AGBO leaders Chris Brearton and Dominic Hughes said AI should help filmmakers work more effectively, while human artists remain central to storytelling. Their comments at the Tokyo film market addressed concerns that AI could replace creative workers, arguing that technology is most valuable when it supports artists’ ideas.
Brearton said AI could improve efficiency by handling tasks that slow the creative process, while Hughes stressed the need for people to guide and curate its use. They compared this approach with Pixar’s use of 3D-rendering technology to serve its stories, and said even the arrival of artificial general intelligence would not replicate artists at the highest level.
In short
- AGBO sees AI as support for artists, not a replacement.
- AI could handle tasks that interrupt creative work.
- Human storytelling and judgement remain essential.
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The case for
AI can help filmmakers spend less time on routine or technically demanding tasks and more time developing stories, potentially making production more efficient and enabling artists to realise ideas they could not otherwise pursue. If people guide and curate the tools, as they do other technologies, AI can serve creative work without displacing human judgement or authorship.
The case against
Even when introduced as a support, AI could reduce demand for creative workers if studios use efficiency gains to replace tasks people currently perform. Its ability to analyse and imitate existing work also raises concerns about whether human direction alone can protect artists’ roles and the distinctiveness of their contributions as the technology improves.
Explained simply
AGBO is a film and television production company founded by directors Anthony and Joe Russo, known for work including the Avengers films. Chris Brearton and Dominic Hughes are senior executives at the company. Their comments concern how artificial intelligence might be used in film-making.
AI tools can help with tasks such as developing or reviewing material, but they have also raised concerns about the effect on writers and other creative workers. The debate is about who makes the important artistic choices and how technology changes the work involved in making films.
The comparison with Pixar refers to its use of computer-generated imagery, or CGI, to bring stories to the screen. Like other production tools, AI can affect how films are made, while questions remain about whether it can match human artists’ judgement and creativity.
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