At the SXSW conference in Austin this afternoon, a whiff of anti-AI sentiment drew loud applause. Award-winning writers and directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, collectively known as “The Daniels,” originally premiered their film “Everywhere All at Once” at his 2022 SXSW Did. The film later won him seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Picture. Winner of director and screenplay awards. In a conversation about the future of storytelling, the pair commented on the inevitable rise of AI and how to approach it, calling the technology both “amazing” and “scary.”
As Kwan first explained, modern capitalism worked only because it forced people to work, not force them to work.
“We had to change the story we were telling ourselves and say, 'Your worth is your work,'” he told the audience. “You are only valuable for what you can do, and we are no longer beings with inherent value. And this is why it is so difficult to find fulfillment in this current system. It’s most effective when it’s not,” he said, then paused. “Back to the topic of AI,” Kwan continued, to thunderous applause and cheers.
Kwan agreed, saying the audience must love the AI given the jeers and shouts he heard, and acknowledged that many would call the technology great.
“It's magic,” he said. “It's probably going to solve cancer. It's probably going to give us a lot of solutions to climate change. This is a powerful thing,” Kwan continued. “But I'm really afraid of what we're going to have to tell ourselves to embrace this new convenience, this new advancement. It's scary,” said one of the now-quiet crowds. he added, as a lone voice inside cheered.
“Now imagine what kind of impact this technology will have within our current system, within our current incentive structures. It is the same system that has led to a lack of appreciation and understanding of the value of
Additionally, he pointed out that our anxiety about AI may be because we know deep down that we will be next. “Even if jobs aren't lost, the value of jobs goes down, right? … It's going to slowly get worse and normalize until we don't notice it,” he said.
Kwan pointed out how social media is already changing our stories. The technology that was supposed to connect us has ended up making us more alone than ever. But with AI, he explained, there is still an opportunity to “rewrite the story and rewrite the system for tomorrow.”
Still, he cautioned, this doesn't mean we can ignore advances in AI and its usefulness.
“I also want to say that we're not saying, 'Don't use AI.' I don't believe in dogma. I don't believe in that kind of puritanical lifestyle. That doesn't work. AI is here, and it's going to be rapidly introduced into every aspect of our lives,” Kwan said.
Scheinert agreed, adding that people should instead consider why they use AI.
“Are you trying to use it to create the world you want to live in? Are you trying to use it to increase the value of your life and focus on the things you really care about? Or for billionaires? Are you just trying to make money?'' Scheinert asked the audience. “And if someone says to you, there are no side effects. That's totally fine. 'Join me' — I just want to go on record and say that's horrible bullshit.” That's not true. And we need to have a really deep conversation about how we roll this out carefully and deliberately,” he said.
Then the crowd erupted into endless applause.
They also seemed to have concerns about AI.
Kwan added that while navigating this current environment where AI is basically ubiquitous, people need to consider why “using AI feels so wrong.” He also reminded the audience why we create art.
“Why did we write Everything Everywhere All at Once the way we did? The answer is: we did it to save ourselves. and the act of defending ourselves and our values from a system that seeks to devalue the people we care about,” Kwan said.