James Cameron joins AI company Stable Diffusion as a board member

This is a major coup for artificial intelligence company Stability AI Avatar, Terminator And Titanic Director James Cameron will join the board.

Stability AI is the company that developed the generative text-to-image AI model Stable Diffusion, an image and video-focused model that is closely watched by many in Hollywood, particularly in the visual effects industry.

In fact, Stability AI CEO Prem Akkaraju is no stranger to the industry, having previously served as CEO of visual effects company WETA Digital. Sean Parker, the former president of Facebook and founder of Napster, also recently joined the AI ​​company as CEO.

As a director, Cameron has long strived to push the boundaries of what is technically possible in filmmaking (anyone who has seen this Terminator Franchise knows he's also familiar with the pitfalls of a technology rampage.

He was among the first directors to exploit the potential of computer-generated visual effects, and he continued to use them in his films (recently). Avatar: The Way of Water) to move the entire field forward.

“I have spent my career seeking new technologies that push the boundaries of what is possible, all in the service of telling incredible stories,” Cameron said in a statement. “I was at the forefront of CGI over three decades ago and have stayed current ever since. Now the interface between generative AI and CGI imaging is the next wave. The convergence of these two completely different engines of creation will open up new opportunities for artists to tell stories in ways we could never have imagined. Stability AI is poised to lead this change. I’m thrilled to be working with Sean, Prem and the Stability AI team as they shape the future of all visual media.”

In a statement of his own, Akkaraju described the role as transformative for the company, which is among a number of firms seeking to harness the power of generative AI for use in creative fields.

“James Cameron is living in the future, waiting for the rest of us to catch up,” Akkaraju said in a statement. “Stability AI's mission is to transform visual media for the next century by providing developers with a comprehensive AI pipeline to bring their ideas to life. We have an unmatched advantage to achieve this goal with a technological and creative visionary like James at the highest levels of our company. This is a monumental statement not only for stability AI, but for the AI ​​industry as a whole.”

Stability AI raised $80 million earlier this year in connection with the appointment of Akkaraju as CEO and the appointment of Parker as executive chairman.

“James Cameron is a legend, both for his artistic vision as a filmmaker and for his role as a pioneering technologist,” Parker added in a statement. “Having an artist of his caliber at the table marks the beginning of a new chapter for Stability AI. We are incredibly excited about the limitless potential for creative collaboration between generative media platforms and the artist community.”

Hollywood has a love-hate relationship with AI technology. On the one hand, companies are embracing the technology, and Lionsgate signed a deal this month to work with Runway to develop custom models trained on its content. And NBCUniversal used AI tools to create an AI-generated Al Michaels during this year's Paris Olympics.

On the other hand, many creatives and Hollywood companies have either sued or threatened to sue some AI companies because they fear that they have trained their models on their content without permission.