Published 22 June 2024, 02:30 IST

Artificial intelligence is “exciting,” but guardrails must be put in place to protect labor, intellectual property and ethics, NBCUniversal Studio Group Chairman Donna Langley said Friday at an entertainment industry law conference.

During a wide-ranging, on-stage conversation at the UCLA Entertainment Symposium, the media chief emphasized that first, “the labor piece of it has to be right,” a proclamation that was met with applause from the audience.

“Nor should we infringe on people’s rights,” she said, adding that there also needs to be “very good, clever, sophisticated copyright laws around our IP.”

But once those issues are adequately handled, filmmakers and content partners also need “creative freedom to be able to use technology,” Langley said. She described AI as like any other technological innovation the film industry has encountered throughout its history and said she was interested in anything that can “evolve creativity.”

“As an industry and as a company, we’re better off embracing it and adhering to those pillars … than pretending it’s not here,” she said. “I think it’s exciting. It should be exciting. But we’ve got to get the ethics of it right.”

Langley and Universal Pictures are coming off a big year last year with “Oppenheimer,” which grossed $975 million in global box office revenue and won a slew of Oscars, including best picture.

Langley isn’t the first studio mogul to comment on AI and its role in the entertainment industry. Last month, Sony Pictures Entertainment Chief Executive Tony Vinciquerra told analysts and investors that AI would save the studio money in production.

AI has emerged as a major issue in Hollywood, as technology companies have increasingly courted studios and industry players. But it is a delicate dance, as entertainment industry executives want to avoid offending actors, writers and other workers who view the technology as a threat to their jobs.

The fast-rising technology was a key issue in last year’s dual labor strikes. The respective agreements struck by the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists included some AI protections, including a provision that actors must be asked permission and compensated for the use of their digital likenesses.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (GOOD THINGS UTAH) – The weekend is back again and this one has a few new movies and series to watch. Movie critic, Val Cameron, stopped by to share her thoughts on Treasure, House of the Dragon Season 2, and The Bikeriders.

Cameron began talking about Treasure, a film starring Lena Dunham and Stephen Fry. This movie follows the story of an American journalist who wants to visit her father’s homeland of Poland. While abroad, Dunham’s character is hoping to make sense of her family’s past. Cameron said this movie has that full circle moment you need at the end. She gave this film a B.

For House of the Dragon 2 season 2, Cameron says she’s not excited about this new weekend addition on HBO Max. After watching the first few episodes, she says it’s a bit messy and gave the series’ second season a C.

Finally getting to the star-studded cast of The Bikeriders. This movie follows a man (Tom Hardy) who wants to start his own bike club. He stars alongside Austin Butler, Michael Shannon, and Jodie Comer. Cameron says the idea of motorcycle riders has been romanticized throughout the years, and this movie reveals how biker gangs were created. The Bikeriders is based on a book. Cameron says the acting is well done and calls this movie a “quiet” film. She gave The Bikeriders a B+.

Follow Val on Instagram and check out her website for all the latest reviews.