Spike Lee’s ‘Highest 2 Lowest’ Takes a Hard Stance on AI

It is at all times a pleasure to hearken to Spike Lee discuss his movies. And that is why I used to be so excited he has a brand new one which debuts on AppleTV at this time, Highest 2 Lowest.It is a reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 basic Excessive and Low, and it is clear from the soar that this can be a mission Spike is keen about. He spoke to USA Right now in regards to the film and its ethical facilities.One quote that stood out to me was about AI within the film and in actual life.Let’s dive in. – YouTubewww.youtube.comSpike Lee’s View on AI and the World For these of you who do not know, Highest 2 Lowest is a tense thriller a couple of rich government whose life is turned the other way up when his son is kidnapped. However in a loopy twist, it seems the abductors grabbed the improper child – they snatched his chauffeur’s son as an alternative.The chief is then confronted with an ethical dilemma: does he pay the ransom to avoid wasting the lifetime of a boy who is not his, or does he shield his personal fortune?Spike Lee brings a really recent perspective to this story, and his auteur sensibilities are everywhere in the display screen.Within the film, we hear that the file exec, performed by Denzel Washington, is coping with one thing everybody in Hollywood is coping with proper now: AI.Whereas within the interview, Lee does not go on about that — he quotes his personal film saying, “AI has no music, no soul. It is not human. No heartbeat.”Lee goes on to speak about what AI is doing to the following era, one thing that is very evident within the subtext of his movie.Lee mentioned, “What number of younger individuals are dishonest theirselves of information and knowledge as a result of their pc’s writing their papers?” he says. “Get mad at me if I sound like an previous fuddy-duddy. So that you get a grade, however did you be taught something by this pc writing your time period paper? Someplace down the road, you get bit within the butt since you cheated. You took a shortcut.”These shortcuts are stifling a whole era’s voices and originality. Within the film, we see this explored by a gangster who needs to earn a living shortly and simply, as an alternative of going by way of the wrestle of an artist to make it to the highest.They need a shortcut.We’re seeing this loads in Hollywood now. Posers who assume they’re artists are utilizing AI to only generate slop with a view to attempt to turn into their favourite filmmakers, as an alternative of doing what it takes to wrestle and climb the mountain. They need the straightforward method in, not the issues of breaking in.I admired Lee’s layering of that into his movie and into his solutions right here. And I do assume it is a message that youthful generations ought to heed.Work arduous and be rewarded.Let me know what you assume within the feedback.