The look and feel of those clips aside, I believe A.I. is antithetical to the soap opera genre, and to creative work as a whole. Soaps often aim to reflect our experiences and delve into the societal issues we face each decade. They were revolutionary in many ways for this. To completely remove the human element in favor of a robot's approximation of emotion is so very wrong. Not to mention unethical to writers, actors, and artists whose hard work and likenesses have been used to train A.I. models with zero consent or compensation. (And there is also the vast environmental impact). I know budget is a factor here, but soap operas have managed with those same concerns since they were invented. I don't believe A.I. is the solution. They would cheapen soaps not for the better, but for the worse.
As mentioned, an actor's unique contribution to their role is irreplaceable. A robot can simply never do it. I return to my favorite soaps because the actors do such a fabulous job, whether intentionally with their deliberate choices, or unintentionally with their natural, subconscious inflections that bleed through to their character and make them all the more interesting. That's the beauty of the human element. (Just one of many examples, of course!).
If productions incorporate A.I. into their shows, I hope it's as short-lived as possible, as A.I. perhaps loses interest while we all continue to learn more about it, or when it becomes more regulated.
I'm a newer soap opera fan (approx. five or six years), and I draw fan art every week of my favorite characters and jot down ideas for alternate plotlines. I take inspiration from my favorite storylines and have gone on to create my own characters and worlds. We're all using this site, so I'd like to believe there are still decent-sized fanbases, all with creative minds buzzing. My point being: We should focus more on uplifting eachothers' abilities rather than encourage a robot to do the creative work for us. I don't often see fanworks, but would love to find wherever they get shared. :)
I hope this post doesn't sound aggressive. I know tone can get a bit lost in text. I'm just passionate about this topic! <3
By
skylark ·
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