The Development of Documentary Filmmaking in the Age of AI

Abstract In the age of digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI), documentary filmmaking has experienced a significant metamorphosis. Documentaries have grown thanks to digital tools, online platforms, and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies that change storytelling, aesthetics, and audience engagement. Historically, they were constrained by analog film processes and distribution barriers. The evolution of documentary filmmaking from film-based methods to the digital revolution and the emergence of AI-driven techniques is examined in this paper. It raises ethical and authenticity concerns while critically examining the ways AI supports visual effects, editing, scripting, and personalization. The article emphasizes how AI can be both an enabler and a disruptor, citing case studies like Welcome to Chechnya (2020), which used AI-based face replacement, Netflix's algorithmic documentary recommendations, and YouTube's role in activist storytelling. The study links theoretical viewpoints on digital media with practical applications through a qualitative, case-study-based methodology, demonstrating how artificial intelligence is changing the way documentaries are distributed, viewed, and told. According to the study's findings, artificial intelligence (AI) both challenges traditional ideas of truth and authorship that serve as the cornerstone of documentary practice and creates new opportunities for immersive and democratized storytelling. Keywords: Documentary filmmaking, Artificial intelligence, Digital narratives, Storytelling, Online platforms, Ethics, Audience engagement.