AI is exploding everywhere. There are so many technological innovations that use AI in visual effects. You might be already following the massive growth of AI. For VFX artists, the question is:

• Is AI taking over the art world?
• Will art be replaced by AI?
• Are artists’ careers over?

In 2010, deep learning changed everything. AI became the revolutionary thing we can utilize. But the big part of preventing AI growth was processing power and storage. With technological innovations, we’re beginning to experience AI for the first time. How exciting it is to be alive right now! 

Machine learning is feeding machine information. With machine learning, the more AI gets corrected, the more it can learn on its own. The disadvantage is that it does take some hand holding to teach AI, in the beginning. There is different machine learning based on neural networks. It thinks similarly to the human brain, it analyzes every little detail. With deep learning, we tell what we want it to do – and the AI figures out how to get there on its own.

With AI, there is no emotion attached. It is able to fail at a quicker rate. For humans, it takes 10,000 to learn something. AI fails 15,000 times and tries again. It learns through trial and error. (Humans should welcome failure at a similar rate!) The gap happens when humans don’t understand how the neural network learns on its own. 

AI like DALL-E and Midjourney imitates the style of artists. Ethical AI is becoming a big topic of conversation. AI solutions learn through generative adversarial networks (GAN’s): In a way, it’s two AI’s learning against each other, giving each other feedback and evolving. But essentially, GAN’s create images from scratch. 

Right now, AI is able to replicate, but it’s not able to create on its own. It’s still more of a tool. VFX is driven by technology. There is a lot of fear that AI is going to take over. VFX artists are operators. The tools have simply become more intuitive. AI can be seen as something that breaks the barriers of resistance. It’s here to allow artists to do more, to be artists.

We are no longer talking about hypothetical applications. We cannot predict where AI is headed or where we’ll be in 10 years. The big question to ask is: WILL AI TAKE OUR JOBS? It is easy to react by being scared of AI. Or, you can choose to be inspired and evolve with it. Anyone who doesn’t embrace innovation becomes outdated. AI is just another tool, albeit a different tool from the tools in the past.

AI will replace some jobs, it’s true. But it will also create new jobs. The jobs that will be most affected are the beginning of a pipeline (ray tracing, camera tracking, etc). Our jobs, as artists, will change. We’ll just have more powerful tools to do more, while we can be artists. It’s up to you to learn the new technology and be at the forefront. It’s time to change our mindset from fearful to inspired!

With his 20+ years of experience as a VFX Supervisor, Allan McKay talks about the history, evolution and application of AI, gives an explanation of machine learning and deep learning, which jobs in the VFX pipeline will be replaced by AI – and why embracing and learning this powerful technology will serve you as a VFX artist.

For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/383.

ActionVFX creates the world's largest library of visual effects stock footage elements for professional VFX Compositors. From Fire, Smoke, and Explosions, to People and Crowds. ActionVFX's mission is to provide artists with the best VFX assets in the world.

ActionVFX’s footage has been used in films like: Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far from Home, Jumanji: The Next Level; television shows like Watchmen, Flash, Fear of the Walking Dead, Legends of Tomorrow, How to Get Away with Murder, Narcos, Series of Unfortunate Events; as well as in video games, music videos and the live Lady Gaga performance at this year’s Grammys. 

Most recently, ActionVFX footage was used in The Last of Us: They Will Come and Marauder: The End is Near.

In this Episode, ActionVFX CEO Rodolphe Pierre-Louis and COO / Co-Owner Luke Thompson talk about launching the company, the lessons they learned along the way, upcoming technology and the importance of consistent learning, willingness to fail fast, leadership advice and so much more!

For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/382.

EveryPoint combines photogrammetry techniques with the iPhone Pro’s LiDAR scanner to fill in the gaps, as well as utilizes the positional / accelerometer data from the Apple AR toolkit. When combined, this delivers color 3D models that are said to be more accurate than simply using the iPhone’s LiDAR scanner alone.

EveryPoint is not an end user product in itself, but a technology layer on which developers can create their solutions, in construction and other industries.

In this Podcast, Jonathan Stephens, the Chief Evangelist and Marketing Director at EveryPoint, talks about EveryPoint, the possible applications of photogrammetry, AI and machine learning – and the future of EveryPoint.

For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/381.

COVID-19 created havoc in people’s lives and for a while, we thought it would shut down the VFX industry. But it turned out to have the opposite effect. As productions shut down, the studios sent artists home and their equipment to their homes, allowing for artists to work from home. That also means that studios could now hire from artists from anywhere, turning the industry into a truly global one. Which also meant incredible opportunities for artists anywhere.

In addition, VFX has become a booming industry. That gives opportunities for smaller studios to compete. There is so much work out there – and not enough artists to do that work. Which means that artists are in demand. The technological innovations, like virtual production, got sped up. For the studios, their overhead has gone down.

For artists, VFX has become a healthier culture. Because artists work from home, they can spend time with their families and no longer need to commit long commutes to work. Because artists now have stations at home, they can also become freelancers. Of course, this should inspire artists to learn new skills (i.e. Unreal Engine) and grow; or to even launch their own studios. 

If you’ve always dreamed of being a VFX artist, now is the time for you! In this Podcast, Allan McKay talks about the positive outcomes of COVID-19 on the VFX industry – from both an artist’s and a studio’s perspective – and why now is the perfect time to learn, innovate and leverage the career you’ve always wanted!

For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/380.