Cannes 2026: Demi Moore claims fighting against AI is “a battle we will lose”
Demi Moore has claimed that any attempts to fight AI will result in “a battle we will lose”, as part of the opening press conference for the Cannes Film Festival.
The actor is serving on the competition jury for this year’s edition of the festival, and during the first press conference on May 12th, they collectively made a marked effort to strike a clearer and more politicised tone to what Cannes sets out to achieve this year.
However, when asked about the use of AI in the film industry, which is often perceived as a threat to livelihoods by actors and crews alike, Moore had a possibly surprising response.
She said (via IndieWire): “AI is here, and so to fight it is a battle that we will lose. So to find ways in which we can work with it is a more valuable path.”
Although she took a potentially more dystopian view compared to other professions in the movie business, who have often tried to push back against AI, Moore was clear that her point was not to give in to the generative technology entirely.
“Truth is, there isn’t anything to fear, because what it can never replace is what true art comes from, which is not the physical. It comes from the soul,” she continued.
The star of The Substance added: “It comes from the spirit of each and every one of us sitting here, each and every one of us that creates every day, and that they can never recreate through something that’s technical.”
Elsewhere, the Cannes jury evidently tried to learn from the error of the ways of the Berlin Film Festival, which fell into controversy when jury head Wim Wenders said during the opening conference that films should “stay out of politics”.
Contrastingly, screenplay writer Paul Laverty, another member of the panel, heaped praise on actors and filmmakers who have spoken out in support of Palestine, and said, “Isn’t it fascinating to see someone, like Susan Sarandon, Javier Bardem, and Mark Ruffalo, blacklisted because of their views and opposing the murder of women and children in Gaza?”
Laverty added: “Shame on Hollywood people who do that and then my respect and total solidarity to them.”
The Cannes Film Festival is set to take place from May 12th to 23rd, although with a notable absence in the line-up this year of any major Hollywood blockbuster premieres.
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