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This Humanoid Robot is Now A Camera Operator

This Humanoid Robot is Now A Camera Operator

More Hollywood vs Big AI Battles, Roblox Gets into GenAI

March 25, 2025

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Less than two weeks to NAB - it’s coming up fast!

As usual, we’ll be doing tons of video coverage on our YouTube channel.

Vibe check - what are you most interested in seeing from the show? If I missed something, just reply back to this email.

What topic are you most interested in at NAB?

Speaking of AI and robotics…let’s get into it

Joey

The Newest Crew Member: An Atlas Robot

Ad agency WPP just dropped a crazy demo video: Boston Dynamics Atlas robot operating a camera rig on a film set.

The demo is part of a collaboration with WPP, Boston Dynamics, NVIDIA, and Canon, marking a significant leap in creative technology for filmmaking and advertising.
Atlas offers unique advantages over human operators, including the ability to lift heavy cameras with precision, execute physically impossible movements, and quickly adapt to different shot requirements.
The robot's capabilities open up new filming possibilities in hazardous or inaccessible environments, such as active volcanoes or deep caves, while maintaining professional-grade camera work.
WPP notes that this technology augments rather than replaces human creativity, allowing production teams to focus more on creative decisions while expanding storytelling possibilities.
NVIDIA Cosmos technology creates synthetic training data that helps Atlas adapt to different filming environments without extensive real-world testing

Our Take

Robots aren't new to film production - adapted industrial robot arms have been doing high-speed, repeatable camera moves for years. At first, this seemed silly - a humanoid robot isn't the best design for film-related tasks.

But then the advantages started to creep in. It can use just about any piece of existing film gear since it's already designed for human hands. Doesn't need track laid out or a forklift to bring it in - you just deploy it. It has all the advantages of other robotic cameras, like precision and repeatability.

Curious to see how this plays out more in the future.

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Hollywood and AI Companies Clash Over Copyright Protections

The battle lines are being drawn between creative professionals and AI companies over copyright regulations, with major implications for the future of both industries.

Over 400 entertainment industry figures including Ben Stiller, Paul McCartney, and Cate Blanchett have signed an open letter urging the Trump administration to maintain strong copyright protections.

Meanwhile, AI giants like OpenAI and Google are advocating for fair use exceptions that would allow AI systems to train on copyrighted materials.

Star-studded opposition: The entertainment industry's open letter emphasizes that relaxed copyright rules could undermine the economic stability of creative sectors that support millions of jobs and generate billions in wages.
Tech companies' argument: OpenAI and Google contend that fair use exceptions for AI training are crucial for maintaining U.S. technological leadership against competitors like China.
Recent protections: California has passed legislation protecting actors from unauthorized AI-generated replicas, while SAG-AFTRA secured AI usage agreements during recent contract negotiations.
Economic stakes: The U.S. arts and entertainment sector represents a significant economic force, making the resolution of this debate critical for both creative professionals and technological advancement.

Our Take

Cat's out of the bag when it comes to AI and training. But there's a lot more nuance to AI use than these headlines. Beyond the training, what someone does with the outputs and how they're trying to use them is equally important. We need better tools to track AI training and outputs so creators whose work is used in a model and its generative outputs can be properly compensated.

Roblox Unveils Cube 3D AI System

Roblox has released Cube 3D, its foundational model for 3D generation, making it available both on its platform and as an open-source resource for the wider AI community. The system converts text prompts directly into 3D models using a novel tokenization approach, with beta mesh generation capabilities launching this week in Roblox Studio and as a Lua API.

Unlike competing solutions that reconstruct 3D objects from 2D images, Cube 3D trains on native 3D data to create fully functional models compatible with game engines.

Open-source availability on both GitHub and HuggingFace, allowing anyone to fine-tune or build upon the model
Text-to-3D functionality that creates complete 3D models rather than just visual representations
Novel technical approach that tokenizes 3D shapes to predict next components similar to language models
Plans to expand to scene generation and multimodal inputs (text, visual, audio)
Future development roadmap toward "4D creation" that adds interactive functionality to objects

Image Source: Roblox Corporation

Andyax takes us behind the scenes of their ultra-low-budget VP setup for a children's TV show.

Stories, projects, and links that caught our attention from around the web:

🌌 TRG Multimedia has launched a state-of-the-art virtual production stage powered by Disguise Studio Pro, offering Midwest filmmakers access to advanced tools for blending physical and digital environments.

📱 Perplexity is proposing to rebuild TikTok's algorithm from scratch in the U.S., focusing on transparency and neutrality to enhance user trust.

🤑 The AI content licensing market is booming as tech giants pay thousands for video footage, providing a lucrative opportunity for creators to monetize their previously unused content.

 Construction is underway for Apple's delayed Apple TV+ studios in Culver City, which will feature substantial office and production space once completed.

🗣️ Film director David Cronenberg believes that the backlash over The Brutalist's use of AI to enhance Adrien Brody's accent was a targeted smear campaign by other Oscar nominees, likening it to tactics used by Harvey Weinstein.