The Future: 2320, the 100% AI Film That Reassures About the Future of Cinema

AI at the Heart of Filmmaking

Artificial intelligence continues to infiltrate various aspects of our daily lives, and its growing influence is particularly felt in the artistic domain. In 2023, the film industry was shaken by a massive strike in Hollywood, fueled by writers' concerns over the rise of AI. In this tense context, French photographer Philippe Shangti took a bold initiative: to create the first film entirely conceived by AI, titled The Future: 2320. We had the opportunity to attend its world premiere at the Grand Rex in Paris.

A Dive into an Imaginary Future

The Future: 2320 offers an immersive experience by transporting us into the world of a famous photographer, who shares the same name as the director, in search of inspiration for a futuristic collection. Despite the advice from those around him to use artificial intelligence, he firmly opposes it. However, his discovery of a mysterious meteorite in Morocco propels him to the year 2320, where he hopes to find the necessary inspiration. Meanwhile, his collaborators, remaining in the present, worry about his absence as an important presentation approaches. The film unfolds as Philippe Shangti, from the future, struggles to send invitations for this crucial event. The plot is enhanced by the appearance of antagonistic characters threatening the protagonist's life.

The narrative of The Future: 2320 is disconcertingly simple, which might reassure writers about their future. The dialogues, often redundant, seem to underestimate the audience's intelligence, repeating information that is already well established. After nearly two hours of viewing, the hope for narrative coherence diminishes, revealing the current limitations of AI in screenwriting.

An Entirely Automated Production

The film The Future: 2320 stands out for its complete lack of human actors, replaced by AI-generated characters. These digital figures, with exaggerated facial expressions and monotonous diction, struggle to convince. Visually, each scene bears the signature of artificial intelligence, with a smooth texture and color grading typical of machine-generated creations.

The on-screen texts are mostly erroneous or misspelled, adding to the viewer's frustration. The fluidity of the images and lip synchronization leave much to be desired, as does the coherence of the shots. Despite the efforts of AI, the film sorely lacks soul, an essential element for any cinematic work. The editing, far from enhancing the experience, makes the viewing increasingly laborious over time.

At the end of the film, a 3D sequence promises to intensify immersion through special glasses. However, this attempt fails to impress, evoking more childhood memories than futuristic visions. The golden creatures that populate this future imagined by Philippe Shangti appear outdated and out of fashion.

A Revealing Experience

In conclusion, The Future: 2320 provides a certain peace of mind. Artificial intelligence, despite its advancements, does not seem ready to replace directors, screenwriters, actors, and other professionals essential to the creation of a film. Although this feature film is not an artistic success, it constitutes a unique experience, illustrating the challenges that AI still needs to overcome to compete with human talent in the world of cinema.