We're offering a 2-week trial of WrapPRO for $1. If you’ve been wanting to check out our full coverage, now’s the time. Greetings!A big part of my reporting on artificial intelligence's impact on Hollywood has revolved around the trepidation over the technology and its ability to disrupt the industry. Many fear that AI could decimate entertainment jobs and replace the creative pulse of cinema with a cold and calculating algorithm. But in today's main story, I explore AI from a different perspective, talking with creatives in Africa who see the technology as a way to level the playing field and provide a springboard to the global media scene. My reporting on this story kicked off after watching a music video set against an AI-generated depiction of the Thiaroye massacre, when a group of soldiers who aided the allied forces in World War II were cut down after their return to West Africa. The video, which won praise for its authentic depiction of African faces, went viral and catapulted Hussein Dembel Sow onto the broader creative scene. I talked to Sow about his work and embrace of AI, an attitude that stands in contrast to many in Hollywood, where the technology remains a sensitive topic. He led me to two other filmmakers: Malik Afegbua, who likewise went viral on Instagram for his use of AI to generate images and video of older Africans walking down a runway of a fashion show; and Obinna Okerekeocha, who founded the continent's first-ever AI-centric film festival last year. All three talked about how AI offers African creatives the kind of tools that are typically only available in big-budget Western productions. Afegbua talked about some of the challenges, including working with models that are built on data from Western or Chinese companies, each with their own inherent biases. Okerekeocha talked about the importance of cultivating a community of like-minded AI enthusiasts who are able to support and drive each other forward. The article is a reminder that while AI's impact on Hollywood is a central storyline here, there are countless unexplored pockets where the technology is changing the game. Roger Cheng 
Sow's latest project is a short film, "Rose," about a colorblind girl who undergoes hypnotherapy and begins to paint colorful, fantastical imagery with her mind's eye... 
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