Tyler Perry Pauses $800 Million Studio Expansion Due to OpenAI

Tyler Perry is putting his $800 million studio expansion plans on hold due to the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence he’s witnessing.

After seeing the facility of OpenAI’s recent text-to-video processing model, filmmaker heavyweight Sora decided to hold off on expanding his massive 330-acre studio in Atlanta, which might have added 12 recent sound stages. According to Perry tested released a brand new AI product after its February 15 debut and believes the advanced technology will help its productions avoid traveling to locations or constructing sets.

“Hearing that he could do it all was one thing, but seeing his capabilities was mind-blowing,” Perry said.

Serving on each ends of the spectrum helps Perry see the advantages and threats Sora poses to the entertainment industry. As a business owner, the creator sees the potential of those technological advances. But as an employer, actor and filmmaker, Perry can also be sounding the alarm about potential dangers.

“There have to be some laws to protect us. If not, I just don’t see how we’ll survive,” he said.

Perry admits that plans to expand his production studio have been placed on hold “indefinitely” due to the capabilities of the brand new Sora tool. The billionaire media mogul is keeping a detailed eye on the emerging OpenAI wave and expected changes within the industry, but not to the extent he has recently witnessed.

“Over the last 12 months or so I’ve been hearing that something like this was coming, but I had no idea until I recently saw an indication of what it could do. It’s shocking to me,” Perry said.

Sora is a newly introduced character product OpenAI, an American research organization coping with artificial intelligence. It serves as a man-made intelligence model that enables users to create realistic and imaginative scenes by simply entering instructions.

Launched on February 15, Perry underwent initial testing that left him each surprised and in awe of its capabilities.

“If I wanted to be in the snow in Colorado, I would choose texting. If I wanted to write a scene on the moon, it would be text, and artificial intelligence can generate it like nothing,” he described, adding how the brand new technology would help reduce production costs.

“I do not have to install the kit on my property. I can sit in an office and do it on a pc, which is shocking to me,” he said.

Perry sees what an enormous change OpenAI might be within the entertainment industry – and admits it could end in job losses.

“I am very, very concerned that many jobs will be lost in the near future,” he said. “I really, really feel this very strongly.”

In September, Hollywood writers and actors ended considered one of the longest strikes in history after reaching a tentative agreement that included protections against the rising tide of artificial intelligence. Under the brand new terms, studios “cannot use artificial intelligence to write scripts or edit scripts that have already been written by a writer,” said comedian Adam Conover. The deal also prevents studios from using AI-generated content as “source material” that they might commission writers to adapt in exchange for reduced pay and fewer credit compared to a very original script.

However, given Perry’s latest revelations and the issues surrounding the studio’s expansion, this might function a preview of what is to come for your entire industry.