Nairobi: French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday underscored the need to safeguard cinema in the era of artificial intelligence and streaming platforms during a summit with global entertainment leaders, including prominent US studio executives. Hollywood actor George Clooney lent his star power to the event, which convened over 200 guests from numerous countries, including top figures from Sony Pictures and Disney.
According to France24.com, the event, termed the Lumi¨re Summit in homage to the Lumi¨re brothers, pioneers of the motion picture, was held in the historic village of Saint-Paul-de-Vence near Nice. It was co-chaired by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung. South Korea, a country known for its acclaimed filmmakers such as Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho, co-hosted the summit to encourage action to bolster the film industry amid dwindling cinema attendance and the rising competition from streaming services.
Both Macron and Lee highlighted the challenges posed by AI advancements. Macron emphasized the potential risks of technology replacing human creators, asserting that such a shift would be a significant error. Lee echoed these sentiments, advocating for AI development to prioritize responsibility and human-centered approaches.
The French and South Korean leaders announced a joint investment of £1 billion ($1.15 billion) to support independent filmmaking, with funding sourced from France's state investment bank Bpifrance and South Korean entities. Additionally, Macron revealed plans to establish an organization with a 30 million euro budget dedicated to supporting independent cinema. Prominent film personalities like Pedro Almodovar and Juliette Binoche participated remotely in the launch.
The summit featured representatives from streaming platform Netflix and social media entity TikTok, though notable absences included YouTube and Meta, Instagram's parent company. TF1's CEO Rodolphe Belmer pointed out YouTube's conspicuous absence, referring to it as the "elephant in the room." The event also did not see participation from leading generative AI companies, which have been criticized for using audiovisual content without authorization.
Gaetan Bruel, head of France's National Cinema Centre, which played a role in organizing the summit, stressed the need for "concrete measures" and advocated for a "new multilateralism" akin to approaches used for climate change issues. Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Fremaux praised the summit's format for facilitating meaningful discussions. Fremaux expressed optimism about cinema's resurgence, noting a strong year for the industry post-Covid as audiences, including younger viewers, return to theaters.