No, I Think This (Admittedly Incredible) Star Wars Movie Shows The Limits Of AI

Hailed as “the best Star Wars movie in years,” Kavan Cardoza’s short film “The Ghost Apprentice” instead shows the limitations of AI. There’s intense debate in Hollywood over the future of AI; some are convinced this is technology to be mastered, while others believe the possibilities are exaggerated, and that it threatens artistry. I’m no modern-day Luddite; in a previous career, I actually worked on technology that was basically a precursor to AI. But I confess I’m rather more skeptical than many, and very wary indeed.

That naturally means a recent article by Forbes fascinated me. Charlie Fink – a former tech executive who covers AI, XR, and the Metaverse for Forbes – published what amounts to a review of a new AI-generated short by Kavan Cardoza (known professionally as Kavan the Kid). Controversially, the article bore the title “The Best Star Wars Movie In Years Is Made With AI.“ I admit I was initially rather amused, because there hasn’t been a Star Wars movie in years, so there aren’t exactly a lot of competitors… but my curiosity was piqued.

“The Ghost Apprentice” Is A Tremendous Star Wars Story

This Is Better AI Than I’m Used To Seeing

I’m surely not the only one to have noticed that my YouTube has been absolutely packed with AI videos of late. Most have reinforced my general wariness of AI, but some of them are worth watching. “The Ghost Apprentice” is one of the best I’ve ever seen; the narrative is a riff on the classic Skywalker saga, but it’s done in a fresh and original way. I like the central conceit, the idea of a young Jedi Padawan who’s been taught by the Force Ghost of his uncle, and who comes out of hiding to face a Sith Lord.

Forbes‘ writer, Charlie Fink, praises “The Ghost Apprentice” for its narrative, emotional depth, and “the sheer technical brilliance of its execution.” I do agree with the narrative, the execution is strong, and the dialogue certainly has strong emotional depth. Fink – a university lecturer – apparently showed the short film to his students in a lecture hall, and his review was simple: “It looked great. No artifacts, no hallucinations. If I didn’t tell you the spectacular visuals were made by AI, you wouldn’t know it. The kick-ass storytelling was all Cardoza.“

I don’t entirely agree.

Without Actors, You Just Don’t Get Passion

The Emotion Isn’t Quite There

The dialogue in The Ghost Apprentice” is tremendous, and the script works really well. The problem, though, is that it all feels a little… flat. Take, for example, one character who’s a pilot; her lines have so much sass, and you can feel the raw potential. But the AI can’t deliver it; the lines are passionless, and the facial expressions don’t contain any of those microfeatures that a real human being demonstrates when they’re speaking. AI just about works for Jedi – it’s an approximation of the serenity sought under the Jedi Code – but it doesn’t for anyone else.

AI can deliver great stories, but it can’t deliver passion.

AI can deliver great stories, but it can’t deliver passion. You need actual actors for that, performers who present something unique and original, rather than an AI simulation that is – by nature – derivative. This is one of the best AI-created Star Wars stories I’ve seen, but it still proves why AI cannot create movies. AI can’t give real, spontaneous performances; the raw potential of the script still lies untapped, because only a human being can draw inspiration from lines on a page, creating something much more transcendent.

AI Makes George Lucas’ Prequel Trilogy Mistakes Even Worse

Technology Needs To Be Handled Much More Wisely

George Lucas himself views AI filmmaking as inevitable. He always loved to push the envelope in technological terms, and he’d no doubt be pioneering the use of AI if he was involved in Star Wars today. “It’s inevitable,” Lucas told Brut FR in an interview at the Cannes Film Festival last year. “I mean, it’s like saying, ‘I don’t believe these cars are gonna work. Let’s just stick with the horses. Let’s stick with the horses.’ And yeah, you can say that, but that isn’t the way the world works.“

Lucas is right. But here’s the catch; we all know his own attempts to push the boundaries of science in filmmaking were not always successful. I rewatched The Phantom Menace on the big screen last year, and its lavish use of CGI has held up better than I thought; but it’s still odd that the original trilogy movies, with their practical effects, have aged rather better than the prequels. Lucas overused CGI, creating stunning environments that just didn’t quite feel real. It’s the same problem Lucasfilm is currently encountering with overuse of the Volume, ILM’s revolutionary CGI environment technology.

My best guess is that AI filmmaking will follow the same pattern as the use of CGI: that some studios will initially go over-the-top in using it, creating stories that – however good – just don’t feel grounded and real. Innovators will come in, just as The Phantom Menace has been far exceeded by James Cameron’s Avatar, and they’ll find ways to use it well. But there will always be a need for human beings in the production, for performances, for actors, for inspiration. There’s no removing the human element, and “The Ghost Apprentice” proves that.

AI Fan Films Miss What Makes Fan Films Great

There’s So Much More To Fan Films

I can understand the attraction of AI when it comes to making fan films. Back in 2001, fanfic became my doorway into the Star Wars fandom as a whole; I can imagine myself as a young writer, excited to turn my ideas into something solid and visual. But this is to misunderstand what a fan film really is; because, at heart, every production is a collaboration. When you turn a fanfic into a fan film, you’re allowing others to enter into the story, to have a say in how characters and concepts are portrayed.

The best fan films are wonderful to watch. You find yourself marveling at characterization and portrayals, at stunt performances, at skillful lightsaber fight choreography (doesn’t every Star Wars fan really want to show what they can do with a lightsaber?). Sometimes, as with the original trilogy, you can sense where budgetary limitations have made things impossible; on other occasions, you’re amazed at what they’ve managed to pull off. “How did they do that?” you ask yourself.

When it comes to AI, though, there’s no such sense of wonder. You know exactly how it was created: a computer did it. There’s no collaboration, no interpretation, only the works of a single writer brought to something that looks like “life” on a screen. As I say, I can understand the attraction; but the best Star Wars fan films are so much more.