May(be) it’s time to embrace AI (Recap: May)

I know we've been talking a lot about uncertainty and change...because that's what's going on right now.

This month, the focus is on this little thing you might have heard about: Artificial Intelligence.

But you might have also heard about something called the printing press. When it was invented (in the early 1400s), there was fear from those in power over what would come from people reading independent thought (crazy and totally irrelevant in today, right?). When the newspaper became commonplace, critics warned that society would collapse into silence—strangers riding trains together, buried behind headlines, disengaged and disconnected. Sound familiar?

Fast forward.

When radio came into homes, people thought it would ruin family dinners. Then television would surely be the death of reading. VHS was supposed to kill the movie theater. Then Napster showed up and cracked open the music industry like an egg.

It did change everything—but it didn’t end music.

What it did was eliminate the gatekeepers. Suddenly, anyone with a mic and a laptop could create and share music. That democratization scared the hell out of record labels. But it gave rise to new kinds of artists—independent, genre-defying, direct-to-audience musicians who didn’t need an industry machine to validate them.

Then Spotify came along and changed the game again. It monetized streaming in a way that provided opportunity but also presented new challenges—about compensation, exposure, and ownership. Sound familiar again?

This cycle repeats because human nature hasn’t changed: we fear what we can’t predict. We worry about being replaced, erased, or left behind. But historically, those who embraced the change—who learned how to use the new tools, who stayed true to their craft while adapting to the times—didn’t just survive. They thrived.

And now, it’s our turn.

Every time a new technology enters the scene, a familiar panic sets in.

Artificial Intelligence is just the next chapter. It’s not the end of actors, writers, or artists. It’s the disruption that makes us ask the hard questions:

How do I stay relevant?

How do I maintain my integrity?

What part of this new world can I actually use to enhance my artistry?

The truth is, we don’t yet fully know what AI will become. But we do know that fear-based paralysis has never been the key to longevity in this (or any) industry.

So instead of declaring the death of acting or mourning the golden age of pre-AI creativity, let’s zoom out.

We’ve been here before. And every time, it wasn’t the technology that won. It was the artists who adapted.

Silver lining: we'll always have live theater!

Google’s Veo 3 and Flow: A New Frontier in Filmmaking

At the Google I/O 2025 event, the tech giant unveiled Veo 3, an advanced AI-driven video generation tool capable of producing high-quality videos from simple text or image prompts, complete with synchronized audio, including dialogues and sound effects. This innovation is part of Google’s broader initiative, Flow, which integrates Veo 3 with other AI models like Imagen and Gemini to empower storytellers with seamless capabilities to produce coherent narratives with consistent characters and objects.   

For actors, this means the possibility of creating compelling visual content without the traditional barriers of production costs and logistics. It’s an opportunity to take creative control and bring personal projects to life with unprecedented ease.

AI as a Collaborative Partner, Not a Replacement

Filmmaker Darren Aronofsky’s new studio, Primordial Soup, exemplifies how AI can be integrated into the creative process. Their upcoming project, “Ancestra,” blends live-action performance with AI-generated visuals, showcasing a hybrid approach that leverages technology without compromising human artistry.   

This collaboration underscores a vital point: AI is a tool to enhance creativity, not to replace it. By embracing AI, actors can explore new dimensions of storytelling and performance.

Practical AI Tools for Actors

Like any other tool, it's important that we become familiar with AI and learn how to use it. You don't have to use it in any way that you don't want to (or at all), but it is wise to be familiar with what's available so you can make an informed (not fearful) decision.

Here are some tools we shared previously:

• Self-Tape Coaching: Platforms like Scriptation and AuditionHero provide feedback on pacing, clarity, and eye-lines, helping actors refine their performances.

• Voice and Accent Training: Tools such as ELSA Speak and Speechling assist in mastering dialects and accents, crucial for diverse roles.

• Scene Analysis: Applications like DeepStory and Scene Study AI break down scripts and beats, facilitating faster and more in-depth preparation.

• AI-Assisted Reel Editing: Services like Kaiber.ai analyze audience engagement data to suggest impactful clips for actor reels.

• Social Media Management: AI tools like Hootsuite and Buffer help maintain a consistent online presence without the risk of burnout.

Integrating these tools into your routine can streamline your workflow and open up new avenues for growth and visibility.

No gloom going into June

So, as we step into this next month, let’s stop treating AI like a villain in a bad sci-fi movie and start treating it like what it actually is—a tool. One that’s still figuring itself out, just like we are. Yes, be mindful and respectful (there are definitely still many implications regarding this new technology), but explore and learn.

Your challenge this month? Try just one of these:

• 🎙️ Use a voice or accent app to prep a monologue with a dialect you’ve never tackled.

• 📝 Plug a scene you wrote into an AI script tool and see what beats it highlights or how it could be improved.

• 🎬 Storyboard a short film idea using an AI image generator and see how it shifts your vision.

• 📣 Use a social media AI assistant to draft a post or reel idea to promote your work (without overthinking it).

• 🎭 Explore an AI-powered self-tape coach to get fresh feedback on an audition you’ve already done.

Growth isn’t always comfortable, but staying still is a surefire way to get left behind. You’re not obsolete—you’re evolving. So go on. Get curious. Get scrappy. And as always...

#stayfocused