Weekly Update: Week of June 23, 2025

AI in creativity and culture. As June wrapped up, AI made waves in the creative arts. In Hollywood, a major studio announced it used an AI tool to assist in editing a blockbuster movie trailer. The AI analyzed audience preferences and helped cut an engaging trailer in half the usual time – though final decisions were still by human editors, it sped up their workflow. Meanwhile, Spotify began testing an AI feature that can generate personalized playlists with AI DJ commentary, mimicking the style of radio DJs. This “AI DJ” greets users by name and introduces songs based on their taste, an innovative blend of personalization and entertainment. On social media, a new trend emerged: amateur creators using generative AI to produce short films and animations. For instance, an independent filmmaker went viral for using an AI image generator + video tools to create a 5-minute sci-fi short film entirely solo – something that would normally require a small team. These cultural moments illustrate how AI is empowering individual creativity and also being integrated into mainstream media production. They also raise interesting discussions about intellectual property and authenticity (e.g., the Screen Actors Guild this week debated rules for AI usage in acting and voice cloning). Culturally, AI is becoming not just a back-end tool but part of the creative narrative.