Whatever we predicted about robots taking over the world may be true. For the first time ever, an AI robot is set to star in a movie.
The AI robot, Erica has been cast in a $70 million science-fiction titled, 'b'. This will be the first film with a robot as a central character. The news may come as a respite to Hollywood since the industry has been finding it hard to resume operations in the current circumstances due to Covid-19. Unlike human actors, Erica is immune to the virus. So, shooting will pose fewer risks.
Erica was created by two Japanese scientists, Hiroshi Ishiguro and Kohei Ogawa. The robot has also been programmed to act.
She was created from scratch to play the role
The film is being produced by Tarek Zohdy, and Sam Khoze. "Talking about the decision to cast a robot, Khoze said, "In other methods of acting, actors involve their own life experiences in the role. But Erica has no life experiences. She was created from scratch to play the role."
He also added how the makers had to 'stimulate' her emotions. He said, "We had to simulate her motions and emotions through one-on-one sessions, such as controlling the speed of her movements, talking through her feelings and coaching character development and body language."
The Hollywood film revolves around the story of a scientist who invents a program to perfect the human DNA. However, there are some issues in the way because of which the experiment becomes dangerous. The scientist has to now help Erica escape the lab.
The film is being financed by Bondit Capital Media from the 'Loving Vincent' fame, Happy Moon Production, and Ten Ten Global Media. Some scenes have already been shot in Japan in 2019. The rest of the schedule is expected to follow in June 2021 in Europe.
