Artificial Intelligence (AI) was not a hit at the usually tech friendly SXSW festival this week, despite the festival’s attempt to laud the growing technology as an important new “culture.”
The claim that AI somehow “makes us more human” was also widely ridiculed as presenters tried to cajole festival goers into accepting the idea that AI is a good thing.
According to reports, the AI presentations came in for loud booing at the Paramount Theatre in Austin on Tuesday, Variety reported.
The boos came in over and over again, especially during the debut of the sizzle reel video created to flog the wonders of AI for the film industry.
oh fuck this: https://t.co/FghCroathS pic.twitter.com/evXSJF1BPA
— Marcelo is at SXSW (@MarceloJPico) March 12, 2024
The boos apparently reached their loudest when OpenAI’s VP of consumer product and head of ChatGPT Peter Deng came on the screen and earnestly insisted that “I actually think that AI fundamentally makes us more human.”
Another clip that drew verbal assaults was when Signal Fire’s consumer VC and former TechCrunch editor Josh Constine said “SXSW has always been the digital culture makers, and I think if you look out into this room, you can see that AI is a culture.”
The discontent of the audience was also keenly felt during panel discussions aimed at extolling the virtues of AI.
Every time the audience was told to “leverage AI,” or “stop resisting” AI, the groans from the audience rose.
In other panels, experts and industry leaders warned that AI is not a “human” thing at all. Everything Everywhere All at Once filmmakers Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, for instance, said they fear AI will have a negative impact on Hollywood. And other panelists agreed.
It should also be remembered that many SXSW attendees are in the film and TV industry and they all just went through the dual writers and actors strikes last year wherein raising a bulwark against the intrusion of AI was a principal concern.
Entire crowd booing the pro A.I. pre-roll at the “Fall Guy” premiere. #SXSW2024
— Siddhant Adlakha (@SiddhantAdlakha) March 12, 2024
Caught the tail end of the reaction when it ran again before “Immaculate” pic.twitter.com/JFSmCxQCkh
— Siddhant Adlakha (@SiddhantAdlakha) March 13, 2024
The incredibly pro-AI sizzle reel today at #SXSW being loudly booed and told to fuck off by roughly a thousand people in the Paramount was heartwarming. Read the room, people.
— Brian Tallerico (@Brian_Tallerico) March 12, 2024
Every day at #sxsw, there is a pre-show bumper of clips from the previous day's conference speakers.
— Mark Olsen (@IndieFocus) March 13, 2024
Tuesday featured multiple people talking about AI. All were variations of "AI is the future, get used to it."
In multiple screenings, those sentiments were roundly booed.
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