Artificial Planet

For the past 50 years, wildlife documentaries have been an integral part of conservation efforts, helping people connect to the natural world and raising awareness of contentious environmental issues. At the same time, technology, social media, and nearly universal access to cameras, have completely revolutionised the world of content creation. Recent advances in artificial intelligence could soon give way to films produced entirely by AI. What might that mean for the wildlife documentary film industry?

Chloe Warren, a young filmmaker studying Science Communication at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, is worried AI might make wildlife filmmaking job obsolete. However, recognizing the fact that wildlife filmmaking does have an ecological impact, she wonders if the technology might actually help reduce disturbance of fragile ecosystems and endangered species, and thus better serve conservation.

Helped by a cast of filmmakers, producers, computer graphics artists, philosophers, computer scientists, and conservationists, the film explores the importance of authenticity, trust, and veracity in wildlife documentaries. As the rise of AI seems more and more inevitable, the audience, filmmakers, and Chloe herself, are forced to consider their own place in the media ecosystem.