Recently, two big-name directors have taken public stances on AI usage in the movies. Interviewers have asked both George Lucas and Christopher Nolan about AI and its place in movie-making recently, and they have very contrasting takes.
George Lucas Accepts AI in the Movies
In an interview with A Rabbit’s Foot, George Lucas not only took a stance on AI but on modern fan involvement with the movie-making process. Lucas’ thoughts about AI leaned in a positive direction, in favor of “progress.” At least, he seems to think that the AI onslaught in the film industry will not stop and accepts it.
Artificial intelligence means it’s much easier for us to make movies… There’s nothing you can do about it. That’s progress, it’s the future.
He also said he thinks studios let fans dictate how a movie goes.
I don’t like focus groups. The audience doesn’t know what they want to see… [Studios] let the audience actually make the movie.
With the rise of early screenings to test audience reception, it has become commonplace for directors to consider fans’ input—and sometimes, ignore it. It’s interesting that Lucas feels this, because fan response also often leans negative when it comes to the use of AI in movies.
Christopher Nolan Completely Rejects AI in the Movies
In an interview with HugoDécrypte (Hugo Travers) on YouTube, Christopher Nolan expressed a very different opinion about AI in movie-making. Travers brought up the “Trojan Horse” metaphor for AI—looking nice on the outside, but having negative consequences. Nolan responded, “Everyone knows the Greeks are inside it.”
Nolan continued, particularly noting that young people don’t seem as taken with the tool as the older generations do.
“The reactions to AI videos online and people my children’s age immediately calling it ‘AI slop…’ putting it in a box, which I think is a very healthy skepticism,” Nolan said. “It’s actually pretty encouraging to see young people in particular being so suspicious of it.”
This anti-AI stance is certainly to be expected from Nolan, with his historically as-real-as-possible approach to filmmaking, avoiding CGI and opting for practical effects wherever possible in his movies. He is also a traditionalist in terms of shooting on film as opposed to digitally. The Odyssey (2026) was the first-ever feature-length film shot entirely on IMAX cameras, with Nolan commissioning special, quieter equipment from the company to allow this.
Nerdist Take: AI and Film Industries Are Shifting Quickly, But Humans Deserve Creative Jobs
Nolan and Lucas are certainly two greats of modern-day filmmaking. Who is to say which stance will pay off better in the future? Studios and filmmakers alike are doing the best they can to predict the future of AI in the movie industry. However, with both the movie and AI industries growing and changing abnormally quickly, they can only see so far ahead. In our opinion, creative jobs should remain with humans, especially in the movie industry. Let the machines do only the most boring work only.