How to manage and regulate artificial intelligence, how to continue to make awards shows more appealing to a wider audience, and how critical improving diversity is to ensuring relevance and revenue were just some of the questions discussed by leaders of the organizations behind the Oscars, BAFTA Awards and Grammys in Toronto on Sunday morning.
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) CEO Bill Kramer, BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip, and Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. addressed burning questions during a panel on “The Future of Awards,” moderated by TIFF programming director Anita Lee, as part of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) industry conference.
None of the panelists were shocked to be asked about the challenges AI is creating for their organizations. “Well, that’s probably the question of the year. How is AI going to impact music and art and culture?” Mason responded. “I don’t have the best answer, but I know it’s going to happen. I know AI is going to be disruptive. I know it’s going to have a huge impact on how we do everything, maybe not just in music and film and television, but just in our society. So the Academy is trying to deal with that and figure it out.”
Noting that music creators have always been early adopters of new technologies, the Grammy boss continued: “I think we can all agree that technology is going to be a part of what our members do. We need to make sure that technology has guardrails and that it's used as a tool to amplify creativity, not replace it.”
Mason also pointed out, “I don't know if you're all aware that you can literally write a phrase or a mood or another example of an artist, if you want, and the computer will generate hundreds and hundreds of complete songs in 10 seconds. So that's something that's both scary and interesting.” Kramer joked at that point, “Don't scare the audience!”
But Mason argued that AI will be received differently by different people. “Some people might think it's awesome. Some people might think it's the worst thing ever,” he said. “When you think about a computer singing, or doing voice replacement, or emulating an Aretha Franklin voice that sounds just like Aretha Franklin, but she's singing about, I don't know, circus juggling. You could have a singer sing anything and there's no consent or there's no compensation for that artist or any approval or recognition. These things are happening. So I might sound overly dramatic. We have to do this for all of our members and for all of our constituents.”
A key question to focus on is how to identify AI contributions or creations, since all currently depend on creators mentioning whether and how they have used AI as part of their work. “It will be important to figure out a detection system,” Mason concluded. “So, [it is about] figure out the rules of what part of AI you allow. Because I promise you, in the films that are in the festival today or the records that we're judging right now, there's already AI in a lot of ways. So what's the line or the threshold where you're going to accept AI?”
The Recording Academy has addressed this in its rules and bylaws. “The way we’ve done it is that AI can be used and it doesn’t make a submission ineligible. AI can be used, but AI won’t be awarded,” Mason explained. “So if the AI wrote the song, the song is ineligible for the songwriting category, but it can still be eligible for the performance category. If the AI sings the song, it can’t be awarded in the performance category, but it can be awarded in the songwriting or production category. So we’ve created very specific rules.”
The Grammy boss admitted, however, that these rules are likely to need updating and tweaking over the next few years.
By comparison, Millichip said BAFTA has looked at possible rule changes, but is taking its time. “You’ve dealt with it quicker than we have. It’s something we’re looking at, considering, not rushing into decisions because we have to get it right,” she argued. “And the honest answer is: we’re not sure yet. I’m also still deeply confused about what it can achieve. Like most technological advances, it’s a tool. ‘How we use it rather than being used by it’ is key. I tried to get him to write some speeches, and all I can say is that was five versions that ended his career after that. He writes some really bad jokes. I think humans are pretty good at writing jokes. Not to be too flippant about it. But it’s an important question for us, but the key is not to rush into panic and really consider what proportion of AI is going to be acceptable.”
But Mason cautioned that “there's not going to be a perfect solution, and the guidelines that we put into our awards process are going to change. They're going to change in a year or two, most likely.” His conclusion: “So I think we need to establish something that people can understand and be clear about, and then commit and promise to evolve it, because it's going to move quickly.”
Kramer echoed that sentiment. “Harvey, I totally agree. We all do it,” he argued. “We need to look at our awards rules. Again, nothing is fixed. The film industry has been affected by technological disruption since the beginning of our industry. This is another moment where that’s happening.”
The Academy hosted a one-day symposium on AI with members, he said. “It’s been really interesting to see how some disciplines are embracing AI and some are not,” he said. “So it’s a tool. I think people are learning how to use it. It’s not a replacement for an artist, an artist’s work, or an individual’s work, but it’s in the industry as we speak.”
In recent years, TV ratings for award shows such as the AMPAS Oscars, BAFTA Awards and the Grammys have been seen as declining; organizers have sought to broaden their appeal, reach younger audiences and utilize new platforms.
Kramer said updating the awards approach was an ongoing priority, but he emphasized the continuing passion of audiences, including younger audiences, for film. Since the Academy Museum opened nearly three years ago, it has welcomed more than 2 million visitors. “More than 50 percent of our ticket buyers are under the age of 40,” the AMPAS chief said. “What does that tell us about young people? And I would define young people as anyone under the age of 40. They’re interested in movies. They’re interested in content. That gives me, that gives the Academy, that should give all of us, a lot of hope.”
What does this mean for the big Hollywood awards show? “People are interested in the Oscars, they’re interested in the Grammys, they’re interested in the BAFTAs,” Kramer concluded. “How we deliver that content will continue to evolve. We’re all thinking about linear TV versus streaming, versus what we put on social. People are engaging with our awards content in different ways. It’s growing in different ways and maybe contracting in some areas. But overall, the number of eyes that we have on our show is vast, and we have to constantly think about how we’re meeting audiences where they want to engage with our awards shows.”
Kramer's conclusion: “We have a bright future ahead of us and… you'll see us all thinking about this. Every studio is thinking about this. Where are our audiences watching our movies? We need to think about our awards shows the same way.”
Millichip pointed out that the BAFTA Film Awards ceremony is three hours long, but only has a two-hour slot on the BBC. “One of the things I wanted to improve a bit was to make sure every award was in the show, which is a bit of an editing feat,” she explained. “I was actually talking to Alfonso Cuarón last night, and we were discussing the BAFTAs, and I got so exasperated with him. He was laughing. I said, 'OK, you come and direct our awards for us.' And he said, 'Do you know how long I'd spend editing? If you want them to be in four years' time, yes, I'll do that.'”
While the BAFTAs are a huge editing challenge, Millichip concluded: “But the nuance, the change we've made is to give oxygen to all the categories that aren't fully in the show, so that whatever category you're in, whether it's a craft category or one of the major arts categories, you'll be in the show. And that's made a difference in the consistency of the show. And we've seen two years of audience growth, which has been fantastic. I think we're in really good health at the moment. We need to keep it that way.”
Diversity among awards bodies' membership is also a key aspect of keeping audiences engaged. “It starts with our members. Ultimately we are a membership organization, so… the diversity of our membership, the globalization of our membership [is important]. We live in a global world,” Kramer said. “Our global audiences think about movies and music in a very different way. So, paying close attention to that [is a must]. … Change is happening rapidly. We need to be agile. We are not always agile as organizations.”
So his team has been very focused on “really thinking about global membership, because it defines how our members watch movies, how they vote, who wins, who’s on stage at the Oscars, and that creates a ripple effect for everything else we do.” Kramer concluded that it’s about “really thinking about opening our doors to members in a way that we haven’t before, thinking about different backgrounds, thinking about their work globally, really thinking about redefining how we invite people to the Academy. And with that comes new audiences, new programs, and new funding. It’s also good business.”
Likewise, Mason emphasized that diversity helps awards organizations represent the world well while also helping generate revenue.
“If you want to enter the British categories of our awards, you have to have a film that stands out by the diversity standards,” Millichip explained of BAFTAs. “So it’s a great way of using the carrot and stick to be more progressive.”
Diversity is key to staying relevant, she added. “It’s really important to stay relevant.” And for that, awards bodies need to understand the world around them. “To be relevant, you have to be representative,” she concluded.
He also shared some insights into a BAFTA change that was intended to shake things up, but has proven successful. “One of the things we do now in our awards is we insist that our members watch a minimum number of randomly selected films,” he explained. “And what you find is that people aren’t voting with bias, but we found that they were potentially not watching a wide enough selection of films that are available. And so it’s quite a subtle work, really asking our members to watch more films, more broadly, outside of their echo chambers.”
Millichip concluded on diversity and inclusion: “It has to be in your DNA. You have to continue to move toward diversity. You have to work toward better equity and representation and just be progressive on a perpetual basis.”