They Are Waiting For Paul and Ringo To Pass Away

They Are Waiting For Paul and Ringo To Pass Away

by Bill Knell

There are many advantages to having grown up on Long Island. One is that you are likely to have known kids that ended up working in the tech community there as adults. Those people, in turn, tended to associate and gossip with others in tech fields working elsewhere. As a result, my friends in the tech world have provided me with helpful and true tidbits of information over the years which I have researched, then shared in my documentaries, seminars, books and articles. Although these are still just “hear say”, they have been far more reliable than most of the fakes and outright lies often posted on social media.

Last week a friend of mine, who once helped refine the process used in DVD production, told me about yet another AI scheme working its way through a large tech corporation. They hope to create either an original, or modern version of The Beatles (a highly successful 1960s rock band that changed music and recording methods). That might include everything you would expect from the real Fab Four: videos, concerts, books, merch and even new music.

Their biggest hurdles are, obviously, existing usage rights, other legal concerns and how the two remaining band members (Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr) might react to the idea. My friend said that his source told him, “They're waiting for Paul and Ringo to pass away… hoping that their heirs and representatives will join in their plan… There's going to be enough money made for everyone to share…” Personally, I hope they live for many years.

Yeah, but don't tell Yoko Ono about it. She'll either want to be on stage with them or paid more than everyone else.

Please understand that information about this scheme has not been verified, although all the tips received from my friend in the past have proven to be true. It does make sense because AI has already been used to complete unfinished films. In Furious 7, filmmakers used a digital double for scenes with Paul Walker after his death. Carrie Fisher, Harold Ramis, and Peter Cushing were brought back for the Star Wars and Ghostbusters franchises.

The digital representation of the late James Dean is set to star in the upcoming sci-fi film Back to Eden thanks to AI technology which cloned his likeness from old footage, photos and voice recordings.

When I was a kid I visited the IMB pavilion at the 1964 New York City World's Fair. The building was designed to look like a giant, interchangeable, IBM Selectric Typewriter ball.

Visitors sat on seats attached to a platform which rose up fifty feet in the air. Once on the inside, large screens and various characters explained computers and their uses, now and in the future.

One use that really caught my attention was how you would someday be able to choose alternative endings to electronically delivered movies; and not just filmed endings. You would eventually be able to make up your own, have it appear on the screen, and added to your version of the movie. To quote a 1955 documentary on emerging technologies, “The future is now.”