The creators of Doctor Who have spoken out about the dangers of artificial intelligence worming its way into the entertainment industry.
The use of artificial intelligence has become a hot topic in the worlds of film and television, as of late, with individuals like Ben Affleck and James Cameron advocating for it, while others such as Nicolas Cage and James Gunn have lamented it.
Firmly in the latter camp are Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat, who have both worked as showrunners on Doctor Who since its revival in 2005.
In a conversation with the Radio Times, Davies pondered whether the likes of him and Moffat will be replaced in 10 years time, if AI continues to evolve at its current rate.
Moffat replied: “My son explained it to me. He said, ‘Yes, it can do all these things. It might even get quite good at them. But it takes an immense amount of power to run AI.’”
He adds: “Whereas you can run a human being on sunlight and a vegetable patch. Human beings are amazingly cheap, we’re knocking out human beings every day. And unlike anything else in history, the more we use it, the less good it is. Because the more content that is out there produced by AI, the more it absorbs its own content and eats its own tail.”
Davies said in reply to Moffat: “Television has been run on those principles for a very long time. You’ve just described most networks!”
Moffat then quipped: “That’s true, but we occasionally have a new idea. I admit, it doesn’t happen very often, certainly not in my case, but occasionally I have a new idea. But it will never have a new idea. That’s not what it does.”
It comes after the BBC announced it is releasing colourised Doctor Who footage ahead of a forthcoming special that will see a classic 1969 storyline revamped for modern screens.
The BBC confirmed that the Time Lord’s regeneration into the third Doctor will be aired in a new colourised version of an episode originally broadcast as part of the War Games storyline in 1969.
The original marked the transition between Patrick Troughton, who played the second incarnation of the Doctor from 1966 to 1969, to his successor Jon Pertwee, who played the third Doctor until 1974.
Meanwhile, this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special, titled “Joy to the World”, will air this Christmas Day, starring Ncuti Gatwa and Derry Girls star Nicola Coughlan.
