Martin Scorsese: An Unexpected Champion for AI in Hollywood

Martin Scorsese has partnered with AI image-generation startup Black Forest Labs as an advisor, according to a report from The New York Times on Tuesday.

The renowned director is using this technology solely for his storyboarding needs.

“For 70 years, I’ve been creating my own storyboards,” he told the Times. He noted that the tool significantly enhances his ability to share his vision with cinematographers and production designers in a more efficient manner.

Black Forest Labs employs a team of 70 and is located in Freiburg, Germany, close to the actual Black Forest, rather than in San Francisco. Despite its unconventional setting, the startup provides image features for Adobe, Canva, Microsoft, and Meta, boasting a valuation of $3.25 billion from investors, including BroadLight Capital, co-founded by Scorsese’s talent manager, Rick Yorn.

Founded by the creators of Stable Diffusion, Black Forest Labs recently opted not to partner with Elon Musk’s xAI, following a past collaboration on Grok’s image generator that ended due to concerns over the platform’s content safety measures, as reported by Wired.

While some in the entertainment sector may raise concerns about this development, even with its limited scope, it is yet another sign that Hollywood’s once-strong opposition to AI is beginning to soften.