Warner Music will use AI technology to create an Edith Piaf biopic, as Hollywood grapples with the implications of artificial intelligence.

• Warner Music Group announced plans to create an AI-generated biopic about Edith Piaf.
• The film, endorsed by Piaf's estate, is still in the proof-of-concept stage.
• Recently, there was a conflict between Hollywood studios and unions regarding the use of AI technology in filmmaking.

The company announced on Tuesday that they plan to use artificial intelligence to replicate the voice and image of French artist and singer Edith Piaf, 59 years after her passing.

The production of the biopic "Edith" involves a series of efforts.

The project's news emerges amidst Hollywood's unease regarding AI, which has been a contentious issue during the recent writers' and actors' strikes, as the unions and studios debated safeguards for AI usage.

The labor required to make animated films could be significantly reduced by AI, according to Jeffrey Katzenberg, the former Disney executive who co-founded DreamWorks.

"When I made an animated movie, it took 500 artists five years to create a world-class film. I believe it won't take 10% of that time, which is three years from now," Katzenberg stated.

The Animation Guild, representing professionals in the animation industry, has formed a task force to investigate AI and machine learning and provide recommendations to its members.

The guild has observed that the Piaf biopic adheres to the recently established SAG-AFTRA guidelines for obtaining consent from an authorized representative of the deceased performer to use a "digital replica" of the performer.

The late singer's voice will be revived using AI technology trained on hundreds of voice clips and images in the 90-minute biopic set in Paris and New York between the 1920s and 1960s. The film will be narrated using Piaf's AI regenerated voice, while animation will provide a modern take on her story.

Warner Music has only created a proof of concept for the film, and has not yet partnered with a studio to produce the full-length version. No release date has been announced, according to a Warner Music representative.

The executors of Piaf's estate stated in a release that it was a special and emotional experience to hear Edith's voice again through technology, making it feel like they were back in the room with her. The animation in the film will reveal the true side of Edith.

In 2007, Piaf was featured in the film "La Vie en Rose," where Marion Cotillard portrayed her and won an Academy Award for best actress.