Picture a world, not unlike the one Rod Serling introduced to us with The Twilight Zone, where robots rule not by strength but by thought, eclipsing the human soul with cold calculations. Mike Fleiss, the luminary behind many of Hollywood’s successes, finds himself in the midst of such a chilling narrative.
Artificial Intelligence, no longer the rogue brainchild of imaginative writers but an entity governing vast spheres of our daily existence, is tightening its grip on the entertainment industry. Streets of Los Angeles are resounding with the protests of the Writer’s Guild of America. They stand not just against an employer, but against an era where creativity is compromised for convenience.
Fleiss, a proud alumnus of the University of California at Berkeley, cut his teeth in the demanding world of sports journalism before embracing the unpredictable tides of Hollywood.
Journalism for him wasn’t about relaying events but weaving stories that spoke to the heart. The legacies left by titans like Joan Didion and Red Smith weren’t mere chronicles; they were sonnets, ballads, and epics.
The shadow of AI looms large over such legacies. To Fleiss, the equation is simple: AI, for all its algorithmic brilliance, can replicate mediocrity but cannot recreate genius. To plug in decades of scripts and get an episode might sound groundbreaking. But when that episode lacks the human touch, the quirks, the flaws, and the passions, is it even worth watching?
His trepidations echo the teachings of his professor at Berkeley, Hubert Dreyfus, who cautioned against the blinding allure of AI. Machines might mimic, but can they ever truly feel?
Fleiss’s disconcerting vision isn’t just about an industry; it’s a reflection on society. It forces one to ponder: As we stand at the crossroads, are we prepared to witness the twilight of human creativity, or will we resist the encroaching night?