What is the Future of Hollywood?

This week on “The Ben & Marc Show”, a16z co-founders Ben Horowitz and Marc Andreessen take on the most hot-button issue in Hollywood: artificial intelligence. Over the past few months, the topic of AI technology has pushed the entire industry into unknown territory. Screenwriters fear they’ll no longer be needed, while actors believe they’ll be replaced altogether. But is it possible AI can actually level the playing field and create new opportunities for all artists?
In this two-part conversation based on YOUR questions from X (formerly Twitter), Marc and Ben examine the evolving business models of the film and television industries, as well as explore how writers, directors and actors can soon use AI technology to unleash their creative potential in ways they never thought possible. In fact, AI’s future in Hollywood may not be as dystopian as some of our favorite films have led us to believe.
We hope you enjoy this episode!
* Episode Note: This conversation was recorded in two parts. Part one took place before the WGA and AMPTP reached an agreement.
Listen to Us!
- Apple Podcast: bit.ly/3SdsfNt
- Spotify: spoti.fi/3SclPOr
Topics Covered:
00:00:01 - Part 1/ Show intro
00:02:31 - Streaming and the disruption of the entertainment business
00:08:12 - How internet based distribution changed music
00:10:31 - The concept of fungibility
00:16:05 - How creative is AI?
00:27:53 - The VCR causes panic
00:30:20 - How filmmakers will use AI in the future
00:35:58 - Human-created entertainment will be at a premium
00:40:19 - Marc's dystopian scenario for Hollywood
00:45:10 - Save the Cat!
00:54:24 - Part 2 / Show intro
00:55:03 - Marc's utopian scenario for Hollywood
00:59:11 - Fun fact about Star Wars
01:03:21 - Mad Men and using ChatGBT to circumvent writer's block
01:06:15 - How filmmakers and musicians will use AI
01:13:03 - The biggest argument for saving Hollywood
01:18:53 - Subversion of cultural norms through entertainment
01:22:01 - The economic principle of elasticity
01:28:10 - Royalties in the music industry
01:32:30 - Grimes and AI
01:41:40 - South Park and small budgets
01:47:31 - Deepfakes and misquotation
01:54:30 - Stuck Culture and Barbie
02:02:22 - AI and the Global Village
02:15:23 - Sign off
#ai #hollywood #film #tv #entertainment #technology #tech #artificialintelligence #celebrity #future
Resources:
Marc on X: / pmarca
Marc’s Substack: pmarca.substack.com/
Ben on X: / bhorowitz
“Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need” by Blake Snyde: amzn.to/3EYsBj3
Films mentioned on this episode:
“Monsters of Man” (Amazon Prime): amzn.to/3tf7CWV
“Tenet” (Amazon Prime): amzn.to/46aI8bE
“Reservoir Dogs” (Netflix): bit.ly/48zbQbM
“Buy Bust” (Netflix): bit.ly/3LHcmuw [**Marc’s recommendation**]
TV Series mentioned on this episode:
“Fauda” (Netflix): bit.ly/3roB9wN
“Squid Game” (Netflix): bit.ly/3LGOreK
“Mad Men” (Amazon Prime): bit.ly/3LM2srB
Stay Updated:
Find us on Twitter: / a16z
Find us on LinkedIn: / a16z
The views expressed here are those of the individual personnel quoted and are not the views of a16z or its affiliates. This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. Furthermore, this content is not directed at nor intended for use by any investors or prospective investors and may not under any circumstances be relied upon when making a decision to invest in any a16z funds. PLEASE SEE MORE HERE: a16z.com/disclosures/

[@gustavo-entrala]

Guys, this is so top notch… I have been thinking about the same issues and published a video in Spanish about it. I reach most of the same conclusions. But your knowledge about innovation and your love for the arts makes your take very profound and optimistic. Thanks very much. By the way what I concluded is the total rebuilding of the industry beyond Hollywood. Thank you very much. I had fun a learn a lot. I have been training to follow Marc’s speed on thinking 😂

[@jaientenduunevoix726]

This is exactly what people want, it's like the informational equivalent of building a pipe in your house that shoots out chocolate sauce whenever you what. Why give NYT or CNN a second thought when you can hear directly from the smartest movers and shakers in the arena

[@Steve-yz9uo]

Yes

[@Iturner72]

Real

[@InkaHacker]

THANK GOD FOR THE INTERNET

[@thebluriam]

Speaking of programming humans using AI, I was helping a friend write his pitch for a pitch competition. We put the whole pitch script into ChatGPT for context. The pitch has a "humanizing element" to the script, but we prompted ChatGPT to "rewrite the humanizing part to create the greatest amount of oxytocin in the bloodstream of the audience". It understood perfectly what the purpose of this request was intended to do in its output and gave us an incredibly powerful version that my friend used verbatim during the pitch competition. You could feel everyone in the room stop breathing as he got through the new oxytocin version of the script, people got super engaged, leaning forward and everything, it was incredible to watch in real time. During the Q&A, someone even specifically mentioned the humanizing story part of the script and how powerful it was, to which the whole room started nodding in agreement. So yeah, it's wildly easy to control people's emotions with AI lol

[@guizaoacc]

It's always good to listen to both of you.

[@DuncanRawlinson]

Great discussion as always. Ben: A "best boy" is the main helper to the head of lighting on a movie set, ensuring all lighting equipment and related tasks are managed daily. A "key grip" is the leader of the team that handles and sets up equipment to support cameras and lights, making sure everything is placed correctly and safely. That little explanation was written by AI of course.

[@aki-kakko]

Great listen! See you at NY Tech Week! #OpenSourceWallStreet

[@Clyde]

This is so cool. I think The All In Podcast is creating a movement. i've always loved listening to Marc. his takes are often so unique & he deep dives into great subject matters.i have learnt a whole lot from him. i haven't listened to Ben a whole bunch but there is this talk he gave about slavery and incentives..highly recommend it! anyway, let me just play this..i just know i will enjoy it and learn a whole bunch..you guys should upload a lot more frequently

[@lakshay.chawla8590]

I really like this episode . Great two dudes coming back on the pod . People should talk about optimistic side of the AI and content that people are just ignoring . Every new technology breaks the old ones but this doesn't means it breaks the culture , It actually change the medium of it

[@joelalain]

what an amazing discussion! Thanks Marc and Ben for making those public! wow glad i just found this, Marc's optimisim (and knowledge) about AI and how it will pan out is fascinating and refreshing

[@thebluriam]

The need for storytellers as a career path will never go away, but now it is evolving towards a form of "Story Orchestration" with our new LLM system, where more storytellers can exist, and higher quality stories can be told, in a new form of media expression that will be similar to how Holonovel are created in Star Trek (specifically from Voyager).

[@SomiArian]

Really enjoyed this one :)

[@simplulo]

THANK YOU for mentioning that in the 1980s we had the same fear of Japan as of China today. So few people remember that. You mentioned VCRs, but I recall the real fear being over HDTV--remember that term? The nation that won control of HDTV would rule the world.

[@planetmuskvlog3047]

54:23 LOL 😆 “month long coffee break”

[@SaroopBharwani]

❤ when Ben uses rap analogies

[@KyleSchullerDEV]

Marc, I’ve recently watched you on several top podcasts and I’ve found this channel which is great! Your mind is fascinating and I will continue to watch a16z videos and anywhere else you’re a guest! My only comment here is the white border, it’s so bright 🙈 consider a dark border for less eye strain (especially because these are long videos) and to let the eyes focus on the faces easier

[@SarbjeetJohal]

I call Hollywood, America’s Culture Export Factory! Great discussion from two of Silicon Valley’s bright brains @bhorowitz and @pmarca!

[@bleacherz7503]

Here we go , the MAGAs are out

[@zachz1667]

Keep the shows coming. Fascinating conversations between these two.

[@karagefanboy]

Great show guys, both looking more and more handsome!

[@bleacherz7503]

Are you an alien?

[@pattycake00]

Just an idea, can someone use AI to set movies up in different ratings. Since we stream, I always wondered if AI can learn adjustments to fit a R rated to PG-13, or PG-13 to PG. A lot of people can’t watch certain movies due to different ages in the family. Sometimes I have to pause and fast forward on certain parts but AI could cut it out completely. There can be different options on one movie and more viewers. Theater can get on this too once it’s implemented more.

[@jamalmehdi5540]

The utopian scenario is the continuation of the arc of how improvements in VFX and CGI over the past few decades have been getting better and cheaper at a very high rate of change. I think AI is only going to allow studios to create at a much higher rate and much lower budgets. I think this helps the streaming services that produce their own content the most because their users will "always have something to watch" a lot cheaper and faster, decreasing the need to license content from other IP holders

[@noruwaagho4892]

The new toy movies have been movies like the emoji movie and video game movies maybe? But agree that stick culture is very real

[@3dus]

Im not sure there was no change in the product themselves unless you factor the window (cinema, TV) and the time (around 2h). The biggest change in the product was introduced with the blockbusters in the late 70s. The production cost went way higher for a way more complex production (FX and VFX) and basically made all the investment consolidated in a few products instead of a lot more cheaper variations of the product.

[@sergiopesch]

Love seeing Ben and Marc together! Any plans on making this available in other platforms like Spotify?

[@a16z]

Coming soon!

[@sergiopesch]

@@a16z❤

[@mattjohnstondev]

the real existential risk is fungible "movie popcorn" at home

[@GBlunted]

Ya! It's going to be like the music industry! Why the writers are on strike? They should be happy about ai!

[@mikesabat]

Can this please be released as a podcast?

[@a16z]

Coming soon!

[@mikesabat]

Thanks Steph

[@fio77777]

💯

[@gregphillips7780]

Was music streaming driven to be a complete catalogue by iTunes purchase model? All songs were the goal because they were individual purchases and once streaming became more competitive they were most likely forced to compete at that scale

[@planetmuskvlog3047]

30:33 Marc’s future of production thesis in a nutshell

[@watcher8582]

Do you have a view on the push of type theory (in math/CS) in the last 15 years? Outgrowths of European 70's "tech" that's really pushed by its advocates online these days.

[@SarbjeetJohal]

My response to Marc at 22:45 - AI can write but someone has to act it… so writers are a lot more in danger than actors. The damage from AI to society is staggered - just like all other technologies from the past.

[@sjilani5727]

Awesome duo. When talking about ai chess vs each other... and video games on auto mode... it is still fun to watch. How do i contact you guys directly?

[@Rtrt51103]

Why isn’t this on apple / Spotify podcasts ?

[@a16z]

Coming soon!

[@neiljamessloan]

Sony or whoever’s VCR format Betamax wasn’t the “wrong” format. It was a superior format. For instance it’s tape travel method was to lift the tape material off the play/record head ever so slightly and then allow the tape to be fast forwarded or rewound. vHS would have to ‘inject’ the tape back into the container. The bottom line was Betamax was a faster travel system. It also had superior audio capability. Ultimately, the market at that time was robbed of a superior tech which was likely driven by the politics of the day. Just saying. Betamax was a better system not a ‘wrong’ as yours imply.

[@priyeshsrivastava8025]

Levy Rozman wondering if his channel is a joke after Ben said people dont watch AI play AI in chess.

[@bleacherz7503]

So where are the great new operas, the great new blues, the great new rocks groups…. ?

[@jetnikhil]

Okay. Here is the elephant in the room. Ben has a weird laugh. 😀It's nice to hear from both of you.

[@fredguth1315]

Aren’t we already living in a world where everyone is eating Cheetos all the time. TikTok, Insta, YT all work exactly in the described distopian way.

[@mikeups]

interesting point how it(AI) will equate entertainment to scripts(and films) or music to our brain chemicals, also what about new versions of input like digital- visual- aural brain chemical AI controlled stimulus to juice the brain like drugs then

[@STATE.38]

❤❤❤

[@bleacherz7503]

Name a single film of the last 5 years that will be remembered, none. Films are on their last leg. Low budget films being a solution , doubtful

[@Mills-London]

🖖😊

[@mikeups]

yeah he couldda wrote all 6 six star wars in one evenings

[@mikeups]

I think when you write for and audience or to anything particular you lose an important part of the creative process(soul one might say)

[@SarbjeetJohal]

24:24 it’s JDBC, not JBDC, Ben, you are losing touch bro 😊

[@mikeups]

it's how propaganda works... and mirror neurons are in the mix...yeah it helped me finish a screen play and some essays I've had in mind for years

[@ErnestoMaldonado-mq8mx]

@1:21:53 He didn't really answer the question. Yes, it's going to destroy many jobs in Hollywood.

[@mikeups]

it's all an illusion the whole movie, I dont think your shoe analogy applies

[@bleacherz7503]

What these two don’t get is unlike VC, there is real talent in acting , writing, producing, it’s why most films suck

[@Alex-zi9wl]

You just proved their point though. Most films suck which is why an 8th string writer or even a hobbyist can compete now. Because the bar for most entertainment is still ultra low. You can make a low grade horror film like Nun 2 on a 10M budget and rake in 220M in revenue before it even hits streaming. With AI, you can get that budget down to $100k. There is a massive demand for content and not nearly enough. Now imagine you target a country like Thailand that doesn’t have an entertainment machine behind it. Massive demand for content in SEA ( 600 million + population) but no good content. AI can level you up to produce targeted content that is good enough, especially if it’s made for audiences that don’t have a 100 year historical precedent for what is considered good quality.

[@Alex-zi9wl]

Hollywood is going to lose its global monopoly on content as AI levels up developing countries that traditionally haven’t had the educational machine, funding and pipeline for producing entertainment. The real opportunity for content demand growth is in developing countries. Not the US.

[@bleacherz7503]

@@Alex-zi9wl they are making the same mistake every old bull makes, new technologies don’t make new versions of old products, they make new products - as for films , will a new great talent come , not likely but maybe - they don’t come out of nowhere , study history

[@Alex-zi9wl]

@@bleacherz7503 AI has lowered the barrier for entry. What you’re failing to realize is that movie making talent is centralized around wealthy elites in Hollywood. You need to spend a ton of money on acting schools, animation schools, and then years of networking and making connections with the right people in the Hollywood bubble. On top of that you need to be gifted at public speaking in English language. The barrier to entry in Hollywood is extremely high. There are literal filmmaking geniuses / prodigies all over India,China, Southeast Asia and South America. And because they didn’t happen to be born into a wealthy family in Los Angeles, California, their talent goes unnoticed. Even though Hollywood is made up of immigrants from all over the world; the vast majority come from wealthy families. AI is lowering the barrier for entry where a rickshaw driver in Calcutta, India with god-level talent can now compete. Just think of all the math prodigies and turbo geniuses that have come out of India alone that had zero educational background. AI will decentralize the entertainment industry and market places will begin to spring up all over the world with films that challenge the traditional Hollywood narratives and status quo. Right now Hollywood determines what is and isn’t a good film. That’s all about to change. Hollywood is a one-size fits all business model. They are so caught up in wokeness and trying to please everyone that they end up pleasing no one. Hence why every film Disney puts out now loses $100 million to $300 million. AI allows for fully customizable content and an all sizes fit one business model that scales infinitely and globally in any language or storytelling style. Asian style narratives are completely different than western for example. No to mention, all characters are fully customizable and hot swappable where you can be the hero of your own movie and so can your customers. It solves the woke conundrum. The onus of content is no longer on the studios as the customer can just mutate stories to meet their desires. The ability to scale entertainment globally, instantly, and in any language, any style, any ethnicity will bring Hollywood to its knees within 5 years. It’s toast.

[@Alex-zi9wl]

Also, a lot of people think the big studios will just do what i mentioned above. No, the studios are not a threat. They are too monolithic and way too caught up in woke politics and anti-AI to adapt to an all-sizes fits one business model. Way too much infighting internally to adapt to the new paradigm. Look at Disney and all the controversy happen over Snow White. That entire company is in shambles and so politically divided internally that even Bon Iger can’t make a dent. By the time Disney realizes it needs to change, it will be too late. They won’t be able to catch up because of retrieval augmentation mechanisms that have been gathering customer data for half a decade that tailors stories to each individual customer. Disney will be forced to buy out all these new competitors a la Brian Acton and WhatsApp…but I’m not sure they will be able to afford to do so. It’s all going to come so fast that I suspect most studios will just panic and implode. Talent is already starting to flee so that is another problem for the studios. We already have signed multiple top Hollywood directors privately so yeah, smart people in Hollywood are already starting to turn against their own.

[@absta1995]

How does Marc consistently have such bad takes. Agreed with most but when he's wrong, he's really wrong