From Jens-Peter Sjöberg, Lord of the Rings CGI artist and co-founder and Creative Director at Swedish video tech pioneers Phyron
As a creative and filmmaker, I’ve always been fascinated by the intersection of technology and art. Generative AI models such as ChatGPT and Midjourney are incredibly powerful and open up new possibilities for content creators.
I recently decided to push the boundaries and produce a music video using the free AI tools* currently available to see what’s possible.
This was a true labour of love, and I am happy with the result after just 12 hours’ work – even if it’s far from perfect. The lip synching is awkward – I still don’t have access to GEN-2 beta. But the video gives a hint at what’s possible in a new era of creativity – where humans and machines can work together to produce something magical.
And that’s the point – this was a collaborative effort. AI can make content production more efficient and do much of what human producers do, but the human element, that artistic spark, is still needed, and will be for the foreseeable.
The company I co-founded – Phyron – is applying this collaborative approach to the business of selling cars. Our AI software takes human innovation in automotive and presents it in a way that sells cars three to five days faster.
Most recently, our team has been working tirelessly to develop a cutting-edge feature that enables the generation of depth from still images, allowing car dealers to provide an immersive experience for potential customers.
One of the main challenges we faced was the limited availability of multiple images of a single vehicle. In some cases, we only had access to a single still image, making it difficult to create accurate 3D representations. To overcome this hurdle, we leveraged advanced deep learning techniques and employed a carefully trained model to extract the necessary information from a solitary image.
The ability to provide customers with exterior film clips with depth from a single still image of a car, even with limited imagery, will significantly enhance the online shopping experience and improve customer engagement.
We will strive to push the boundaries of what’s possible with AI and video, creating art through a collaboration of human and machine.
* Tools used:
AI Music – music composition
Runwayml – visuals
Midjourney – concept and character development
ChatGPT – lyrics
