The founder of Laboratoire CinéMédias was invited to the conference of the Association française des enseignants et chercheurs en cinéma et audiovisuel (AFECCAV) in Caen, France, to explore “the relationship between the written word and the image,” from the “early days” of cinema to the age of generative artificial intelligence.
Olivier Du Ruisseau
As part of the 13th International Conference of the Association française des enseignants et chercheurs en cinéma et audiovisuel, André Gaudreault delivered an online lecture on June 19, 2025, examining the connections between the written word and the image in the age of generative artificial intelligence (AI). Held at the Institut Mémoires de l’édition contemporaine, at Ardenne Abbey in Caen, France, the conference brought together dozens of researchers from across the French-speaking world.
Entitled “From the Literary to Artificial Intelligence, by Way of the Filmic: Written AI Prompts in the Driver’s Seat,” the lecture allowed Professor Gaudreault to revisit some of his influential theories, particularly those presented in Du littéraire au filmique (1988), by drawing parallels between the current “early days” of AI and those of cinema.
“In this newly dawned era in which artificial intelligence (AI) now generates moving images, we must acknowledge that the Word has yet to relinquish its reign over the world of images,” he wrote in his presentation abstract. “Indeed, although these images are generated by AI, it is the written word—in the form of a prompt—that remains in the driver’s seat. Studying the relationship between the written word and the image in what I call ‘early generative AI’ has led me to draw fascinating parallels with ‘early cinema.’ This study has also prompted me to revisit theories I developed in the book that marked my own ‘early days’ as a researcher nearly 40 years ago (Du littéraire au filmique. Système du récit). This ‘theoretical return’ also coincided with the return to my life of the artist who designed the cover of that book. Their latest work as an artist-in-residence in my research laboratory, this time aided by AI tools, allows us to observe how artificial intelligence carries out—or, rather, resists carrying out—the final act of writing a work: editing.”
A recording of André Gaudreault’s presentation is now available online (in French only).
Founded in 1997, AFECCAV brings together tenured academics, doctoral students, scholars with doctorates who do not hold tenured positions, and professionals working in the French-speaking audiovisual sector, primarily in France. Its aim is to develop higher education and promote academic research in the field. It also publishes the journal Mise au point, hosted on OpenEdition, which features interdisciplinary thematic issues devoted to the aesthetics, history, economics, and sociology of screen media.