James Cameron hits out at “horrifying” generative AI use in movies
James Cameron has hit out against the use of generative AI in films, saying the practice is “horrifying to me”.
The iconic director was speaking during a new interview on CBS’s Sunday Morning when he was asked about AI actors, such as Tilly Norwood, being created within the industry.
Hitting back at historic allegations that his Avatar films use AI to replace actors, Cameron said: “For years, there was this sense that, ‘Oh, they’re doing something strange with computers and they’re replacing actors,’ when in fact, once you really drill down and you see what we’re doing, it’s a celebration of the actor-director moment.”
To make his stance even clearer on his opposition to AI, the filmmaker added, “Now, go to the other end of the spectrum, and you’ve got generative AI, where they can make up a character.”
He continued: “They can make up an actor. They can make up a performance from scratch with a text prompt. It’s like, no. That’s horrifying to me. That’s the opposite. That’s exactly what we’re not doing.”
It comes after producer Eline Van der Velden revealed her creation of Norwood to the world, sparking backlash as it marked the first-ever AI-generated actor to be signed to a casting agency.
However, Cameron has faced some of his own controversies in relation to the field of technology, after he recently admitted in a separate interview that he could possibly see himself working with Elon Musk in the future after becoming friends with him, despite differences in their political opinions.
He also hit out at other modern facets of the film industry, saying films made for Netflix shouldn’t qualify for the Oscars.
Cameron’s latest film, Avatar: Fire and Ash, will be released in cinemas on December 17th.
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