Jason Blum, the founder and CEO of Blumhouse Productions, has stated that a controversial partnership with Meta taught him a significant lesson about the current limitations of artificial intelligence in filmmaking. The executive revealed the experience made him "very confident" that AI will not create superior content for "a long, long time."
The revelation came during an interview at Business Insider's The Long Play event in San Francisco on Tuesday. Blum described the intense negative reaction on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) after his company produced three experimental AI short films for Meta in October 2024.
Backlash Over Meta Partnership
"We made three little AI shorts for Meta. We got destroyed on Twitter for doing that," Blum told interviewer Peter Kafka. The partnership was announced as a test of Meta's suite of AI models designed to assist in the filmmaking process.
Despite the backlash, Blum framed the experience as educational. He said the practical experiment with the technology actually reduced his concerns about AI replacing human filmmakers, leading to his conclusion about its long-term creative limitations.
AI's Likely Competitors
Blum offered a nuanced perspective on where AI-generated content will find its market. He suggested it is more likely to compete for audience attention with social media scrolling and short-form digital content rather than with traditional cinematic experiences.
"I think for once, creators have more to worry about than directors and writers," Blum stated, drawing a distinction between different types of content producers in the digital age.
Blumhouse's Stance on Inevitable Technology
The CEO of the studio behind franchises like "Paranormal Activity," "Insidious," and Oscar-winning films such as "Get Out," acknowledged that AI in Hollywood is here to stay. He expressed frustration with outright rejection of the technology within the industry.
"It really bothers me when a lot of people in Hollywood just are like, 'We're not doing AI,'" Blum said, adding emphatically, "It ain't going away." His personal approach is to experiment with the technology and ensure his company can support filmmakers who choose to use it.
Blum described the use of AI as a "personal choice" for directors, producers, and writers, committing his company to providing information and resources for those interested in exploring its applications.