AI Filmmaker Defends Viral ITV Job Ad Amid Fierce Industry Backlash

An artistic minimalist depiction of a live TV production set.

The cofounder and executive producer of “ethical” artificial intelligence production company Deep Fusion Films has defended British broadcaster ITV following a controversial job posting for a “head of generative AI innovation.”

Benjamin Field told FutureWeek the intense backlash over the advert is largely misplaced and could stem from misunderstandings about the role’s true nature, though he acknowledged elements of the ad were tone-deaf amid growing concerns over the use of generative AI in creative industries.

The title “is, of course, slightly insensitive given the current ecosystem,” Field said. “But the job was a technical role, it wasn’t a creative role,” Field said. “I spoke to them, they were hiring somebody so they would be in a position to assist production companies coming to them with ideas and generally not be able to progress their ideas,” Field added, explaining that use of generative AI to assist the creative process was just one aspect of a much broader technical position.

Feeding Fears AI Will Take Creative Jobs

The controversy surrounding the ITV job posting underscores the broader tensions regarding generative AI in the entertainment industry. These concerns — centred on how the technology might threaten the roles and livelihoods of creative professionals — are at the heart of industrial disputes roiling the industry, notably recent writers’ and actors’ strikes that brought Hollywood to a standstill.

The listing, posted on platforms like LinkedIn and the broadcaster’s website, sought a “head of generative AI innovation.” The “visionary” candidate will “drive the strategy and execution of AI-driven transformation across both ITV Studios and ITV’s streaming services,” the advert said.

Duties for the £95,000 a year position would include spearheading “AI-driven innovations in content creation for TV shows, films, and digital-first content,” including using the technology for idea generation, character development and enhancing production graphics.

Industry Backlash

The advert went viral online and has since been taken down. It sparked intense backlash from screenwriters and industry professionals, including “Derry Girls” creator Lisa McGee, who told Broadcast magazine the broadcaster’s decision to create the role was “incredibly depressing and, considering how Al material is generated, unethical.” Jack Rooke, who created Channel 4’s comedy Big Boys, told the publication the role shows ITV is “neglecting to realise their most successful scripted projects have always been born out of real life human experience.” Shows are “built by real life writers,” Rooke added.

The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) also criticised ITV’s decision to recruit a lead for generative AI. General secretary Ellie Peers said the union was “shocked to hear that ITV are intending to bring in an AI expert to replace writers and other creators.”

“There’s no shortage of story ideas out there, though sadly there appears to be an unwillingness to pay for them,” Peers said. “If the broadcaster has a spare £95,000, they would be better off investing in screenwriters rather than gimmicks,” she said.

“We strongly oppose this move from ITV, which also raises serious questions about IP. We will be talking about this to ITV as a matter of urgency.”

“It was messy”

ITV’s second mistake was taking the advert down as soon as it started garnering attention, Field said. In doing so, the broadcaster abdicated control of the narrative and left media reports — which overwhelmingly concentrated on the creative elements of the role — the sole source of information about the posting.

“It was messy,” Field admitted. “But ultimately what they were doing was not unethical,” he said. Far from being harmful, Field said the role appeared to be “beneficial to the industry” and in line with current guidelines and practices.

The advert is still visible as a legacy posting on some job sites. In addition to the controversial components involving “creative AI innovation,” the job description lists “thought leadership,” “streaming personalisation” and “AI strategy development” as key components of the role. The successful candidate will also “implement AI solutions that optimise back-end workflows” and collaborate with other teams to help “scale AI capabilities across the company,” the listing said.

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