The deluge of AI posts, demos, commentary, and panic is omnipresent. Every feed I open, every conversation at an event, someone is making predictions or asking where all of this goes.
However, I haven’t seen a dramatic shift in the work I do every day… yet. We’re still finishing movies, TV shows, commercials, social content and even music videos. The pressure is still high. Timelines and budgets are tight. Clients still expect interactivity, precision, and care.
But open LinkedIn, and it’s everywhere.
AI in pre-production. AI in post. AI in shot design. AI doing it all with one person at the helm. AI panic. An AI flood.
Everyone seems to be writing or at least thinking about it. Most of them aren’t wrong.
The scroll has taken on a surreal edge. AI-remixed headshots. Family photos turned into Miyazaki dreamscapes. AI-generated action figures, complete with retro packaging. Podcasters as babies. And now, a wave of generative vloggers, from Bigfoot to Jesus to Greg the stormtrooper, and even a gorilla who needs a dentist.
Most of it passes in seconds. But it leaves a residue.
Mixed in with all of that is a rising tide of AI experts, consultants, and keynote speakers hawking frameworks and selling themselves. Alongside that is a quieter group of craftspeople experimenting. Testing tools. Rebuilding workflows. Chasing the vanguard, not for headlines, but to stay connected to the process they love.
And still, the rooms I work in haven’t changed all that much. The director, DP, and agency creatives still want to tweak. I still hear that being in a grading environment is their favorite part of the process.
There’s something about being in a dark room with smart collaborators, all focused on the scene. You offer a note. Someone builds on it. It’s not just additive. It becomes something else. One plus one equals three. The moment it comes together, along with a side of sushi and lattes, and someone still says, “Split the difference.”
So, this post isn’t a case for or against anything. It’s just a note from the field. Our craft still carries weight. The tools are creeping in. Some of them will stick. Others won’t.
But it’s clear to me now, there is a shift happening, whether we’re ready or not.
I’ll be writing a few of these over the coming weeks. Not because I have a grand framework to sell, but because I think it might be useful to slow the scroll for a moment and sit with what’s changing.
Editor’s note: Follow Billy Gabor on LinkedIn. This piece first appeared in hi LinkedIn series, Plus ça change. It reflects on how creative collaboration and craft are evolving in the age of AI and why the human element still matters, even as the tools change. You can read the original post here.
