by Xinhua writer Zhang Yunlong

BEIJING, April 27 (Xinhua) -- "When I started, I wrote dog food commercials, I wrote children's television programs," said Simon Franglen, the British composer behind the score of "Avatar: The Way of Water," recalling his early career.

Franglen was speaking to reporters on Sunday at a special screening event for "Dragonfly," winner of the Best Feature Film prize at the 16th Beijing International Film Festival, where he served on the Juliette Binoche-chaired Tiantan Award jury. He said his concern about artificial intelligence (AI) lies less in its ability to mimic veterans like himself than in its potential to erode the entry-level opportunities that have long served as a training ground for young artists.

"That's the sort of area where I can see AI systems easing into," he continued. "And it's the first 10 years when you are young, when you need to earn money to learn your craft -- if that money is taken away by AI assistance, then you have a generation that does not have the training that I had."

Franglen, who has worked with artists including Michael Jackson and Madonna and is a long-time collaborator of James Cameron, argued that AI-generated music can never replicate the distinctiveness of a human composer.

"AI-generated music is the most average music you can get because that's the way the systems are built," he said. "Even if it says 'make music like Simon Franglen', it's going to look at everything I've done and come up with something that is the average of me -- and by then I've already moved somewhere else."

For Franglen, the heart of the issue isn't AI's technical limits, but what defines human creativity. "I'm looking for the wrong notes, because the wrong notes are where the magic is," he said. "My wrong notes are different to another composer's wrong notes. That's what makes us unique."

Franglen said he already uses AI tools to help handle technical tasks such as organizing his sound libraries, but draws a clear boundary around artistic creation. "I believe the creative process should be something that humans do," he said. "We use AI systems to support our creative process. I don't think we have any choice -- it is already happening."

Still, he pointed out that the disruption would likely be felt most acutely by musicians early in their careers, as film producers opt for AI-generated scores.

His remarks come amid intensifying global debates over AI's role in the creative industries, with musicians, screenwriters and visual artists calling for safeguards against displacement by algorithmic systems.

"Dragonfly," a British film, tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a widow aged over 80 and her younger neighbor. It claimed the festival's top honor along with prizes for Best Screenplay and Best Actress.