In a former hemstitching workshop in Stockholm, a new era of film-making is taking root. Zack London, operating under the pseudonym Gossip Goblin, leads a small team of eight collaborators across Europe to produce grotesque and satirical sci-fi shorts using off-the-shelf AI tools. Despite criticisms of 'automated slop' and copyright theft, his audience has grown to over 500 million views, attracting attention from Hollywood talent agents, producers, and streamers.
London, a 35-year-old transplant from California, has been making AI films for just over three years. His work features tech-human hybrid characters in a dystopian universe. Mathieu Kassovitz, director of La Haine, praised the emotion in one of London's AI-generated actors, while podcaster Joe Rogan shared a clip with his millions of viewers, calling it 'amazing'.
AI film-makers stand on the brink of a breakthrough, with backers believing it will unleash a new wave of creativity. London compares the current anarchy to early 1920s cinema, saying, 'I have found myself at the inception of a new thing where there are no rules.' Other creators like Neural Viz and Kavanthekid are also gathering millions of views.
Critics decry the trend as 'ugly slop' and 'AI sludge', with artists like Elton John and Scarlett Johansson calling AI training theft. London acknowledges the controversy but argues that 'that ship has kind of sailed', emphasising that film-makers must ensure their output is not theft. Meanwhile, AI video-making capabilities advance, and traditional studios like Pinewood are pivoting to build AI datacentres instead of new sound stages.
