Martin Scorsese sparked outrage among artists after he revealed the use of a company's artificial intelligence technology to create storyboards. Offended by his comments, they expressed their displeasure to the renowned director on social media. Remarkably, the use of AI in filmmaking remains a highly controversial topic. Some creatives support its use, while others disapprove.
Martin Scorsese has faced criticism for his comments on artificial intelligence.
The Oscar winner recently announced he had become an advisor to Black Forest Labs, an AI startup specializing in image generation and the creator of the FLUX model. He also revealed that he used their technology to create storyboards during pre-production for his new film. Unfortunately for Scorsese, some artists expressed anger, accusing him of disrespecting his work.
Karla Ortiz, a concept artist formerly with Marvel, wrote on X (formerly Twitter): "He's screwing every storyboard artist he's ever worked with by ruining their livelihoods with models that were likely trained on the work of those same storyboard artists. Using his legacy and power to do this is simply disgusting.".
Meanwhile, Samuel Deats, director of the animated series Castlevania, demanded that Scorsese "show some pride and respect for his colleagues." Noting that storyboarding a shot took him only a few seconds, he said, "There's absolutely no reason to use artificial intelligence, created from the stolen work of millions of artists, to storyboard your vision.".
Earlier in his statement, Scorsese, who has been developing his own storyboards for 70 years, admitted that he had difficulty communicating his ideas to the actors and crew. He added, "Some things need to be seen and felt.".
The Wolf of Wall Street director further stated, "I'm interested in the intersection of technology and storytelling and how it can push the boundaries of creativity, creating deeper and richer experiences for audiences." He continued, "Remember, film is a young art form, only about 125 years old, so we have to be open to how it can evolve.".
Recalling how he used 3D for Hugo and de-aging technology for The Irishman, Scorsese emphasized that with the AI tool, he could communicate his visualizations "clearly and effectively" to the creative team, who could then "develop them to enrich the cinematic experience.".
The article "Martin Scorsese's AI Storyboard Scandal Divides Artists" first appeared on Mandatory.