You’ve probably heard the word “Barbenheimer” recently as both the movies “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” are killing it at the box office and provoking many different opinions regarding their messages. I’m betting the person who first coined “Barbenheimer” wishes they could have trademarked it because their bank account would be growing rapidly right now.
You knew it was only a matter of time before someone tried to do something clever and create some sort of mash-up. I thought we’d see a great meme or two, perhaps a mock poster, but one thing I didn’t have on my bingo card? A trailer made using artificial intelligence promoting a non-existent “Barbenheimer” film.
But that’s exactly what Mike Fink and Caleb Ward did with AI generator “Curious Refuge,” and the results are hilarious. They introduced their “trailer” thusly:
Why watch a double feature when you can watch both films in one? She has become death, the destroyer of worlds. Welcome to the hottest Summer release of 2023. We are proud to give you… Barbenheimer. This is the mashup we’ve all been waiting for.
Watch:
Obviously, seeing Matt Damon in a pink army uniform is funny enough. But the entire clip is amusing as the pink themes of Barbie clash with the seriousness of the Oppenheimer mise en scène. The pink mushroom cloud is the icing on the cake.
But as funny as it is, there’s something terrifying about it as well, and it shows the amazing abilities behind AI—and its potential pitfalls. Writer Sharon Goldman writes about her three key takeaways from the video, saying that although there’s a “cheerful, bullish, even fluffy side” to artificial intelligence, there’s also a “serious, sobering side.”
The first thing she noted was the incredible speed of AI technological advancement:
In an era when social media content is part of the zeitgeist more than ever, there’s no doubt that the speed of development of AI-generated entertainment is perfectly placed for today’s viral moments.
Very true. And I think we’re going to see a lot more AI-generated content in the near future. She then notes that, as the actors’ and writers’ strikes are ongoing, will they even be needed in the future?
The “Barbenheimer” trailer is a perfect example: Who needs the pricey services of Margot Robbie and Matt Damon if you can come up with a serviceable AI copy? Why use the time-consuming work of artists or editors when you have the speedy output of [AI generators] Midjourney and Runway Gen 2?
She then poses her most serious question: is AI a “candy-colored wrapper around a more serious, unsettling reality?”
That’s gen AI in a nutshell — stunning and shocking, exciting and frightening, dazzling and appalling, sometimes all at once. But certainly, all stakeholders involved in AI development need to consider not just the sugary surface of what gen AI can do, but the deep, real issues that lay underneath.
I think this trailer is hysterical and extremely well done. The creators managed to produce it in only four days and used AI voices for Matt Damon and Margot Robbie. Yes, there are certainly artificial moments that you can easily spot—when the characters speak, their mouths move in a strange manner. Yet, how far away are we from the ability to produce videos that are indistinguishable from reality?
The answer: not far, not far at all, and that could lead to many sinister outcomes. I thoroughly enjoyed this clever clip, but I couldn’t help but think of the unsettling power behind this technology and its use.
The Jokes Write Themselves When Kamala Harris Tries to Explain Artificial Intelligence
Join the conversation as a VIP Member