Fifty years ago, a young woman named Hannah was delighted to see an erotic magazine photo. This week, thanks to generative AI, she did it again. This time with narration.
Volume 1 of “Sh(AI)ved,” a collection of AI-generated short films from photo spreads from erotic magazines published 50 years ago, debuted on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival and is currently streaming on Cultpix.
Thomas Meier of Norwegian company Multiformat deployed the latest generative AI tools to transform a still image from a 1976 magazine spread into a fully animated video with color, synchronized sound, dialogue, and narration.
Variety did a deep dive into the movie to find out what all the fuss is about.
The first short story in the collection, titled “Sh(AI)ved,” opens with a montage of naked women pleasuring themselves, which was typical for mid-’70s adult films. It’s all set to a soundtrack known variously as “wah-wah music” or “porn funk.” The latter refers to the strutting, bass-heavy funk grooves that became synonymous with the era. This genre is also sometimes referred to as “sexual exploitation music” or, more colloquially, “bow chica wah wah” with heavy use of electric guitar riffs.
The film itself begins with a close-up of the shaved private parts of a young woman named Hannah who is engaged in self-stimulation (as a voiceover informs us). At the same time, VO recalls “tender moments” with a young female friend, but that “something was missing.” As self-stimulation progresses, VO follows philosophically. Hannah then calls her male friend and makes do with a vibromassager while he is away.
This is followed by what VO describes as an “orgy with best friends”, where three women arrive with clean-shaven private parts (you can see a theme emerging here). “Gone are the annoying and disgusting little hairs that used to get in the way and completely destroy the wan, sensual atmosphere,” we are informed. The women then begin to enjoy acrobatic sex in various positions, permutations, and combinations. Sometimes dildos and strap-ons are also used, accompanied by loud moans and the aforementioned bow-chicka-wah-wah music. All of this creates a “wonderful volcanic orgasm” for everyone.
The final short story in Volume 1 is titled “After Movie Party,” in which two male and female couples (who are said to be swapping partners) become amorous and begin to have sex after watching a late night movie. One of the men doesn’t enjoy cunnilingus because his partner’s pubic hair gets in the way. The men start shaving the women’s vulvas – you may have noticed this theme by now – and they all have very energetic sex.
For lovers of 1970s adult films, Sh(AI)ved and the others that will surely follow in its wake will be of great interest. Even for those who don’t, or who are only interested in advances in AI, this movie should still be appealing. In terms of appearance, the decor is authentic from the 1970s, and the humans, especially the faces and bodies, are surprisingly photorealistic. Only in extreme close-ups of genitals does the plastic nature of AI that strives for photorealism become apparent.
Depending on how you look at it, “Sh(AI)ved” is a novelty, a provocation, or a true milestone in the long and complex history of video. Probably all three. This technology is not yet seamless. The AI handles faces and mid-shots with surprising calm, but it loses its nerve in extreme close-ups, turning flesh to plastic and losing the illusion. But as a proof of concept for what generative AI can do with archival stills, and a time capsule that captures both the aesthetic and philosophical innocence of 1970s erotica, it’s hard to look away. Future volumes will probably resolve the technical issues. For now, the most striking thing about “Sh(AI)ved” may be how old-fashioned it all feels. Perhaps that’s exactly what matters.
