Martin Scorsese has become the latest Oscar winner to join the artificial intelligence field, joining AI firm Black Forest Labs as a consultant with the goal of "expanding the boundaries of creativity and creating deeper, more enriching experiences for audiences.".
«"Cinema is a young art form, only about 125 years old, so we must be open to its continued evolution," Scorsese said in a statement published on the Black Forest Labs website. "I used 3D on 'Hugo' and de-aging technology for 'The Irishman.' Now, thanks to this tool, I can more clearly and effectively share my visualizations with my creative team—the production designer, art director, and cinematographer—so they can further develop their cinematic craft.".
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In a video filmed in Scorsese's New York office and accompanying the partnership announcement, the Goodfellas director uses the generative AI model FLUX to storyboard a scene. He then discusses the staging of the famous Steadicam shot, which tracks gangster Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) as he makes his way through the Copacabana nightclub, noting how meticulously each "scene" was choreographed.
«"If you have a tool like this, you can figure things out much faster, save time on production, and reduce the workload on your staff," Scorsese said in the video.
Black Forest Labs CEO Robin Rombach, a co-founder of the Freiburg, Germany-based company founded in 2024, told the New York Times that the partnership with Scorsese is "great proof that it works." A spokesperson for the director said he was introduced to the company through the investment firm BroadLight Capital, an investor in Black Forest Labs, co-founded by Scorsese's manager, Rick Yorn. According to the Times, CAA co-founder Michael Ovitz, who also invested in the artificial intelligence company, also helped broker the partnership.
It remained unclear whether Scorsese himself had invested in the firm, and Black Forest Labs did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A representative for Scorsese declined to comment.
Scorsese, one of the most accomplished directors in cinema history, joins many of his Academy Award-winning colleagues in embracing artificial intelligence—albeit to varying degrees.
Avatar director James Cameron sits on the board of Stability AI, the company that created the text-to-image model Stable Diffusion, where Rombach previously worked. Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson also stated at a Cannes Film Festival masterclass last month that "I don't dislike" AI, comparing it to a "special effect." Not everyone agrees: Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro last month criticized those who believe "art can be created with some damn app," and last year, the director declared he would "rather die" than use generative AI in his films.
Scorsese's support for Black Forest Labs comes amid a new wave of AI adoption in Hollywood. The Tribeca Film Festival will host the world premiere of "Dreams of Violets," a 75-minute docudrama created entirely with AI and dedicated to the Iranian civil resistance. "Rogue One" director Gareth Edwards also announced at the Amazon AI on the Lot event last week that he plans to create a hybrid film created using generative AI.
For his part, Scorsese said in a statement that he tested Black Forest Labs' tools to create storyboards for a scene for the upcoming film and claimed that the AI tools helped him better capture the image he had in his mind.
«"In pre-production, time is money, and this allowed us to move faster without sacrificing quality or craftsmanship," Scorsese said.
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