Acclaimed director James Cameron has shared his thoughts on AI technology.
James Cameron is “not personally interested” in using AI.
The 71-year-old filmmaker has actually embraced cutting-edge film technology throughout his career – but Cameron doesn’t have any intention of using AI.
Speaking at the Hainan Island International Film Festival, Cameron explained: “I’m not personally interested in using those tools, in using any pathway that uses technology to replace human creativity.
“We may be able to replace an actor [with a generative character]. I say ‘we’, but I wouldn’t do it. Is it desirable? Does it create that unique character that is based on two sets of unique human experiences, the screenwriter’s and the actor’s?”
Cameron conceded that AI technology can help with specific aspects of the filmmaking experience. However, he’s urged studios to adopt a cautious approach, too.
Cameron said: “Can we improve the workflow, can we make the work more efficient, can we make the work more creative [with generative AI]? I think yes. As long as we stick to a very high standard of how it is used, ethically, morally and practically.”
The Avatar director insisted that AI can’t match human creativity and imagination.
He explained: “If you try to use a model that’s trained on everything, how can it be that unique? It cannot. It will give you the average. It can do the mediocre, but it cannot do the special and unique. It also cannot create that which has never been seen.
“If you take a generative model and say ‘give me something that looks like Avatar?’ Great! it can do it all day long, bio luminescence, flying creatures.
“Ask that model to do it before Avatar existed. It’s going to draw a blank. So, it fundamentally still comes back to human creativity.”
Meanwhile, fellow director Rian Johnson recently claimed that AI is “making everything worse in every single way”.
The filmmaker – who is one of the best-known directors in Hollywood – bemoaned the potential impact of AI technology, with Rian worrying about what it could do for people currently working in the movie business.
He told The Hollywood Reporter: “Yeah, f*** AI. It’s something that’s making everything worse in every single way — I don’t get it.
“I mean, I get it in a ‘This makes sense to save money by not paying artists’ way.’ But then, what the f*** are we doing? Is this where we want to be?”
On the other hand, Rian defended streaming platforms, explaining that a lot of people simply don’t understand how the movie business works in the modern day.
He said: “People generally don’t understand that it’s not just Netflix saying, ‘You can’t have this number of theatres’ — there’s a bit of trench warfare going on with the theatre chains and Netflix, and the chains won’t play Netflix movies if they don’t have a [longer] window.
“The temptation is to frame it as ‘us against Netflix’ or something. It’s not that at all.”
James Cameron: I’m not interested in using AI
