His “Terminator” was a cautionary tale about artificial intelligence; Now James Cameron joins the board of Stability AI

Academy Award-winning filmmaker James Cameron has joined the Stability AI Board of Directors.

Just a year ago, AI was considered a dirty word during the double whammy that crippled the company when Cameron quoted his 1984 science fiction classic The Terminator — about artificial intelligence becoming sentient and having devastating effects on humanity — and said, “I warned you in 1984 and you didn’t listen.”

Aside from his groundbreaking skills as a filmmaker and pioneer in 3D and VFX, Cameron is also a technology innovator, so it's no surprise that he would be part of the next wave of AI and take advantage of the technology. The announcement was made by Prem Akkaraju, CEO of Stability AI.

Cameron will join the other newly appointed board members, including Dana Settle, co-founder and managing partner of Greycroft; Colin Bryant, COO and General Partner of Coatue Management; and Sean Parker, entrepreneur, philanthropist and former president of Facebook, who serves as executive chairman.

Akkaraju and Parker are back in business together, having developed the set-top box technology for Screening Room and hired elite filmmakers like Steven Spielberg into press studios to make their first films available for service to this wealthy demo , who cannot do this regularly while raising their families, go to the theater but have enough money to pay a premium for first-run films. The studios didn't accept the technology and then worked together when Akkaraju ran Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh's Weta Digital and the spin-off Weta Animated and Parker joined the board.

The company said Cameron's addition represents a significant step forward in Stability AI's mission to transform visual media. Both Cameron and Stability AI operate at the intersection of new technology and creativity. Cameron's artist-centric perspective, as well as his business and technical acumen, will help Stability AI continue to explore new opportunities to empower creators to tell stories in ways previously unimaginable. “James Cameron is living in the future, waiting for the rest of us to catch up,” Akkaraju said.

“Stability AI’s mission is to transform visual media for the next century by providing creators with a comprehensive AI pipeline to bring their ideas to life,” he said. “We have an unmatched advantage to achieve this goal with a technological and creative visionary like James at the highest level of our company. This is a monumental statement not only for stability AI, but for the AI ​​industry as a whole. The next frontier in visual media will be created by a true fusion of artist and technology, and Stability AI is leading the way.”

Stability AI has raised $233 million in five rounds and is valued at nearly $1 billion, according to the company.