Profile | Brian Eno, musician and producer, on AI-driven documentary Eno and why he doesn’t trust Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg with the technology
- Brian Eno redefined pop working with Roxy Music, David Bowie, Talking Heads, Devo and U2. Now a film about him, Eno, is redefining the documentary
- Eno uses generative AI to produce a different version of the film each time it is shown; the musician and producer talks about the power of AI and its dangers
Part practical problem-solver and part esoteric theoretician, Brian Eno has been involved as a musician and producer on some of the most influential music of the past 50 years, a daunting list of collaborators that redefined pop: Roxy Music, David Bowie, Talking Heads, Devo and U2.
As a solo artist, Eno pioneered the genre of ambient music. He has also extended his work into the visual arts, creating installation pieces.
A new documentary, Eno, directed by Gary Hustwit and recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, is an unusual portrait of an artist – the first on its subject.
The project uses a custom-built generative artificial intelligence engine that selects footage and changes edits so the film is different every time it is shown.
“The generative approach was something that was really organic to what he’s done,” says Hustwit on the pairing of subject and form. “He’s been very much an early adopter [of] new technology and ways to integrate it into the creative process. So approaching a movie about him that way made sense.”
Eno says the generative aspect was already part of the film project when he got involved, and a key part for him. “[That’s] because I so despise [films] about artists. They’re always rubbish, in my opinion,” he says.
