UC Berkeley School of Information

A new study led by Professor David Bamman used facial recognition technology to track the amount of time actors appear on screen in more than 2,300 films. By subjecting movies to the “silicon gaze,” he hopes to make it possible for scholars to analyze a broader array of films — and ask more detailed questions about representation — than ever before.

UC Berkeley researcher Nina Beguš instructed both humans and AI tools to write a story based on one of two short prompts. She then compared the results, finding that humans still had the edge in creative stories. But recent AI updates have made the platforms better in compelling — and surprising — ways.