When Harry met Sally’s AI

Welcome to the Wide Shot, a newsletter about the business of entertainment. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.

I’m sure someone has already tried to use ChatGPT to write some rom-com fan fiction about a guy who falls in love “Her�-style with an artificial intelligence program, probably titled “Something’s Bot-a Give� or something equally silly.

Anyway, my colleague Brian Contreras wrote a fascinating story about Caryn Marjorie, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Snapchat lifestyle influencer who has more than 2 million followers and has been using AI audio messaging software to become a “virtual girlfriend� to thousands.

Marjorie made headlines about a month ago for her stated mission to “cure loneliness� with her chatbot, which was developed by a company called Forever Voices and charges users $1 a minute for the robo-pillow-talk experience. CarynAI’s rise to prominence brought up all kinds of concerns about whether this use of AI is demeaning for women or will exacerbate the already troubling social dislocation of young men.

But Marjorie has not backed down. In fact, she’s figured out an additional business venture by also charging super-fans to chat with the real her. Meaning she’ll be competing with her own AI clone.

From the piece:

She struck a deal with Fanfix, a Beverly Hills-based platform that helps social media creators put their premium content behind a paywall, and started using its messaging tools to chat directly with customers.

The result is essentially a two-tier business model where lonely guys looking for a 3 a.m. chat session can talk with Marjorie’s machine mimic, while die-hard fans willing to shell out a bit more can pay for the genuine article.

That within the span of a few weeks Marjorie launched two different, seemingly contradictory business ventures — both aimed at turning fan conversations into money — speaks to a central question of an AI-obsessed moment: With robots increasingly entangled in creative industries, what work should be asked of them and what should be left to us?

Marjorie’s hybrid model offers a preview of one possible path forward.

Users pay a minimum of $5 to send her a message on Fanfix, said co-founder Harry Gestetner. That pricing difference — $5 for one human-to-human text versus $1 for a minute of the AI voice-chatting — signals an approach to automation in which workers use machine learning not as a wholesale replacement but as a lower-end alternative for more frugal customers. (Think of an artisanal farmers market cheese versus a machine-made Kraft Single.)

“Messaging directly with a fan on Fanfix will always be a premium experience,� Gestetner said. “It’s important to view AI as the co-pilot, not the pilot.�

Contreras’ story highlights a debate over what behaviors and tasks ought to be performed by one’s authentic self and what can be pawned off onto a digital likeness. And, naturally, how both avenues can be converted into currency. But it also shows how there are few philosophical conflicts that can’t be resolved when the economic incentives are aligned.

This comes at a time when such issues are at the forefront of labor disputes in Hollywood, including the ongoing writers’ strike and negotiations between the studios and SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents actors. All of this speaks to how quickly automation is advancing to include everything from the creation of art to the basic functions of human relationships and social interactions.

(If you’re wondering if there’s a “South Park� episode that’s quasi-relevant to this, there definitely is.)

Marjorie’s split online identity also helps show what AI’s role in the economy might be in the not-too-distant future. Robots may not fully replace humans, as so many futurists and sci-fi aficionados have warned, but rather become a downmarket alternative for creative industries. What “made in China� means for manufacturing, “voiced and written by AI� could come to represent for entertainment and media.

Rejected subject lines for today’s edition: Botting Hill. Sweet Home AI-bama. Win a Date with TadBottington. Shallow Hal 9000.

Stuff we wrote

— What Ryan Murphy’s and Harry and Meghan’s deals say about the state of Hollywood. Murphy is moving his deal from Netflix to Disney amid changes in the way Hollywood approaches deals with top producers. Meanwhile, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Spotify podcasting deal has come to an end.

— Netflix is getting into live sports, but is it just a publicity stunt? Netflix is known for sports documentaries like “The Last Dance� and series that take fans behind the scenes of franchises, including Formula 1, in “Drive to Survive.� Now, the streaming giant is exploring ways to grow its sports audience with live events.

— SAG-AFTRA leaders cite ‘extremely productive’ contract talks with Hollywood studios. In a video message to members, SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher signaled contract negotiations with the studios were going well, suggesting Hollywood may avert a second strike. More in labor: Hollywood directors approve new contract with studios.

— Scripted TV production has virtually stopped in L.A. nearly two months after writers’ strike began. With no end in sight for the writers’ strike, local scripted television production has ground to a halt, a blow to the region’s local economy. More in production: Newsom and lawmakers cut a grand deal for Hollywood: Refundable tax credit and new set safety rules.

— ICYMI: ‘Rust’ weapons supervisor charged with dumping drugs on day of fatal shooting. Former Disney PR chief Zenia Mucha to head TikTok communications at a pivotal moment. The WGA strike has hit some restaurants hard. They’re rallying behind it anyway. Geraldo Rivera says he is exiting Fox News’ ‘The Five.’ Jesse Watters gets Tucker’s time slot.

Box office notes

In its second weekend, “Elemental� fell off less than expected, while “The Flash� saw a large drop.

(Pixar; Warner Bros./DC Comics)

Some thoughts on the weekend results before the movie theater industry heads for a pileup of blockbuster hopefuls including the new “Indiana Jones,� “Mission: Impossible,� “Barbie� and “Oppenheimer�:

“Elemental� fell just 38% domestically in its second weekend, bringing its total to $65 million from the U.S. and Canada and $121 million including international grosses. The typical movie declines more than 50% from its opening, so this is a strong hold.

But last weekend’s tallies don’t make Pixar’s movie a hit. Disney’s animated films cost in the ballpark of $200 million to make, not counting what the studio spends on marketing, and “Elemental’s� opening was the worst in Pixar’s history after adjusting for inflation. The movie may end up at $115 million to $120 million domestically, if it performs as analysts expect, which is quite poor for a Pixar movie, though clearly not as bad as it could’ve been.

With “The Flash,� the opposite dynamic is playing out. A drop of 72% from its opening means that audiences are rejecting the superhero movie, a bruising outcome for DC Studios’ leadership team of James Gunn and Peter Safran, as well as their boss, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav.

It’s certainly an awkward result after the executives declared “The Flash� one of the best superhero movies ever made, though the desire to somehow hype up this title is understandable, given the problems that prevented star Ezra Miller from participating in a normal press tour. What’s harder to say is what it means for Gunn and Safran’s plans for DC. They still have a couple risky films to release (“Blue Beetle,� “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom�) before Gunn’s “Superman: Legacy� comes out in 2025.

Jennifer Lawrence’s “No Hard Feelings� opening with $15.1 million doesn’t mean the R-rated studio comedy is back (Sony’s movie carries a $45-million production budget), but the fact that it came in higher than analysts expected is a hopeful sign for a troubled genre. It’s the kind of mid-range date-night movie theater owners say they want more of. Let’s see if audiences agree. Next, here comes “Joy Ride� in July, the trailer for which is very funny and over the top.

Focus Features can’t be upset about Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City� collecting $9 million after expanding to 1,675 theaters. That’s solid for a quirky indie-ish film these days and shows there’s some life in the grown-up specialty market as long as the filmmaker possesses major brand recognition.

This week, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny� is tracking for an opening of $60 million to $70 million over the three-day weekend (July 4 lands on a Tuesday). Reviews are split, but the nostalgia factor here is real, so I’m betting it’ll end up on the high end of that range.

Best of the web

— Inside Harry and Meghan’s challenged foray into Hollywood. (Wall Street Journal)

— The movie producer who could bring down Israel’s Netanyahu. (New York Times)

— The editor who published an error-riddled vaccine story by RFK Jr. reflects on mistakes made. (The Nation)

Finally ...

Weirdo musical duo 100 gecs is back on my running playlist with a recent run of characteristically high-energy songs, “Hollywood Baby� and “Dumbest Girl Alive,� both of which involve a frenetic pastiche of electronic, pop-punk and metal influences. Mikael Wood likes them, so there’s some validation. They bring in a bit too much third-wave ska for my ears, but no artist is perfect, except for David Bowie.

Check out our music team’s 40 best songs of 2023 so far (complete with a playlist!)