Arielle Friedman: Creating a Realistic Depiction of AI in TV and Film

Arielle Friedman, CEO and founder of Alchemy Digital Advising is all about AI realism. She uses her expertise in AI and human cognition to help film and TV shows integrate realistic AI into storytelling.

Her approach involves translating highly technical information for writers and the general public. In doing so, she offers an understanding of what AI can do and what it is likely to be able to do in the future. With AI becoming a real part of people’s lives, Arielle promotes a grounded approach to this emerging technology for businesses, films, and other creatives.

An Interest Leads to a Career

While Arielle started as a biology major with an interest in genetics, she became fascinated with the consequences of digital technology. This drove her to switch majors to Cognitive System, a program that explores the relationship between the human mind and AI. Since graduating, she has helped over 50 companies achieve their digital goals.

These days, she’s focused on AI for film and TV. Her company helps creators integrate AI into animation, but also advises on AI realism. Arielle is an award-winning documentary screenwriter, and has a passion for writing. She believes that “grounding your story in real-world details can take your fictional world to the next level.” She’s currently working with director Rob Alicea on the film Serena, about an AI project gone wrong.

“From the moment our team had the first meeting with Arielle Friedman, it was quickly evident just how vast her knowledge of Artificial Intelligence goes,” said Rob Alicea. “What excited me, personally, was also how grounded her views and approach to this new technology is. She never leads with fear, but, rather, seeks to understand and learn how we can integrate AI into our lives in a way that is additive, never destructive. Having her consult on our film has been beyond invaluable and I know will help take this story to even greater heights.”

Arielle’s Philosophy on AI

Overall, Arielle promotes a cautious but optimistic view of AI. Part of her philosophy comes from reading Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle as a young adult. Before reading the novel, she believed all knowledge was inherently good, but the novel inspired her to adopt a stance of greater caution.

“Cat’s Cradle introduced me to the concept of an info hazard,” says Arielle, “and to the idea that technology could do more harm than good. I think we have a bias towards techno-optimism in our culture, and in particular in business culture… I’d love to see the culture around technology become more cautious, and above that, more moral. Creating a business and releasing a technology is a moral act, and should be seen as such.”

Current Projects and Past Works

Currently, Arielle is consulting for AI realism on the upcoming sci-fi thriller Serena, directed by Rob Alicea. The story will follow a revolutionary new form of AI in its beta testing phase. When the test goes awry, one of the AI’s users will question who he can trust and his own humanity—if he survives.

Arielle has also recently signed a book deal with Dundurn Press for a nonfiction book exploring whether AI will ever be conscious (she argues no). She is already an award-winning documentary screenwriter, has published dozens of articles on the topics of science and technology, and has an upcoming chapter in an anthology on women in STEM to be published by CRC Press/Taylor and Francis.

Consulting and Insight

Arielle maintains a Substack where she shares her unfolding perspective on these and other topics. She also runs Alchemy Digital Advising, a consulting firm that helps businesses and creatives integrate AI and other technologies.

BDG Media newsroom and editorial staff were not involved in the creation of this content.