Ava DuVernay defends AI-animated photographs in “14th”
The director says the documentary’s technology animates public-domain archival images, while critics raise questions of consent and historical representation.
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Ava DuVernay has defended the use of artificial intelligence in her documentary “14th,” saying the technology was used to animate public-domain historical photographs, rather than to create people or put words into their mouths. The film’s AI-assisted imagery prompted online criticism and questions about consent and altering the likenesses of people unable to approve the changes.
Speaking at AFI Fest on Oct. 25, DuVernay said the production had not used AI to “fabricate a person,” create an avatar or approximate a person’s voice saying something they never said. The intention, she said, was to bring audiences closer to the historical period represented in the images.
The film includes an extended sequence in which black-and-white archival photographs appear animated, with subjects blinking, laughing and fidgeting. Earlier, at the New York Film Festival, DuVernay said she had sought to recreate the three-dimensional effect of Civil War-era stereoscopic photography, using tools for photoscoping, parallax and animation.
DuVernay also argued that AI-related technology already appears across filmmaking, including sound design, editing, colour correction and animation. The tools used for “14th” are also present in postproduction software including Pro Tools, Avid and Resolve, she said, while adding that filmmakers must be sober about the technology’s role throughout the workflow.
Her defence arrives amid wider disputes over AI’s place in screen production. Hollywood actors and writers had sought AI protections during strikes two years before the BBC report, while creators have criticised technology companies for using public and copyrighted material to train models without consent. U.S. documentary filmmakers also face unsettled legal and ethical questions, according to the International Documentary Association, which advises disclosure of AI-generated elements to copyright registrars and distributors.
“14th” examines the Fourteenth Amendment, including birthright citizenship, due process and equal protection under the law. DuVernay began considering the project after hearing the current president discuss dismantling birthright citizenship while a candidate. The film was not initially intended as a follow-up to her 2016 documentary “13th,” about racial inequality and mass incarceration, according to producer Spencer Averick.
DuVernay said viewers should judge the film’s use of AI for themselves. “14th” opens in select theatres on Nov. 27 and begins streaming globally on Netflix on Dec. 4.