Many Doctor Who fans have been disappointed after seeing showrunner, Russell T Davies, sharing and praising an AI video supposedly recreating the early days of the show.
The video was part of a social media campaign by one of those “influencers” who generate reels of them going “back in time” to interact with historical people and events. In the one praised by Davies (as well as by Captain Jack Harkness actor, John Barrowman), this individual found himself on the set of the first episode, An Unearthly Child, back in 1963; in the background, an AI recreation of First Doctor actor, William Hartnell, is stood by the TARDIS, chatting to supposed crew members.
Davies commented that this was “amazing!” and reiterated this when resharing via Instagram reels.
Once some fans expressed their disappointment, he deleted the reel, though the comment remains, and seemingly his sentiment too.
Not only is it sad to see a creative praising something horribly put into being by artificial intelligence, but also that it’s filled with incorrect information, including what the TARDIS prop was made of. The video also asks what Hartnell might’ve chatted about between takes; the original episode was actually filmed “as live”, as numerous takes weren’t just costly — they were effectively impossible. (An Unearthly Child was re-filmed, so two versions exist, but that’s not what “takes” refer to.)
Davies should at least recognise the damage AI is doing to the creative industry; just because he’s unlikely to be replaced, given his elevated status and experience, doesn’t mean others won’t be.
The showrunner has spoken in the past about using AI on Doctor Who, notably stirring the pot by suggesting AI versions of deceased actors could be utilised in the future. It’s also a big topic in the world of Doctor Who now, considering the uproar caused by AI upscaling on Doctor Who: The Collection (the reason I refuse to buy any further sets from now on).
