Recently, more directors have spoken out about AI in the film industry, notably Christopher Nolan, who firmly advocates for making films with minimal reliance on technology. In an interview with Hugo Travers, Nolan said, “I think AI is a Trojan horse that everyone knows contains Greek soldiers inside.” He added that this horse isn’t wooden but made of glass, clearly revealing its interior. He meant it is a threat that is not silent because everyone knows danger hides within.
“I’ve never seen a technology advance so rapidly yet be so widely dismissed by the public. Skepticism toward it is very high, especially among young people. Seeing reactions to AI videos online or kids my son’s age calling it ‘AI trash,’ defining and boxing it off, is something I consider a good form of questioning. Technology gives us great gifts, but it must always be viewed with skepticism,” Nolan said.
Although Nolan’s The Odyssey has grossed huge sums amid debates over realism, Elon Musk has a different view on AI. Recently, he announced plans to create an epic Odyssey using Grok AI, aiming to make it historically accurate and embody the beauty Homer intended. This comes from Musk’s dissatisfaction with Nolan’s casting choices for The Odyssey.
Conversely, George Lucas, the father of the Star Wars universe, has supported AI use in filmmaking. Lucas said AI is the future of film, explaining, “Artificial intelligence makes filmmaking easier.” He compared the world’s evolution to carriages becoming cars, then tanks that might one day destroy cities. “It’s bad, but you can’t do anything about it. It’s progress. It’s the future.” He added AI can tell what’s fake or real—something humans can’t because we aren’t that smart.
The fear of being replaced by AI is vividly portrayed in Neill Blomkamp’s 13-minute short film “Nightborne,” created using the Seedance 2.0 AI model. Although its speech, lighting, and emotional expression aren’t very realistic yet, Blomkamp demonstrates AI’s potential to become more seamless than we expect. He also launched Barley Studios, a studio dedicated specifically to AI films.
Despite AI’s superiority, we can still adapt.
Ben Affleck recently co-founded an AI company with Netflix called InterPositive, backed by $587 million, aiming to harness AI in film. Affleck will serve as senior advisor. This news has raised concerns among moviegoers that AI is dominating the industry, possibly leading to more so-called AI slop.
In fact, Affleck said in Netflix’s InterPositive launch video, “It’s not like that.” He explained that using AI in film isn’t about someone typing prompts for AI to create a movie from scratch. Affleck admitted he was scared after discovering AI’s capabilities but saw that beneath its brilliance lies a system or numbers that can extract the best parts. InterPositive focuses on using AI during production, especially in post-production, to fix minor issues like scene or lighting problems. Affleck assured this use won’t replace human talent but will solve problems directors face—something he understands well from his own directing experience.
As for realism in feature-length AI films, it seems we still have a long wait. Current AI films online lack consistency in faces, scenes, and natural dialogue.
Vik-Wanchana Intrasombat, a Thai animator, manager, and Art Director at Moonactive (Thailand), and former founder of StudioKun, spoke about this issue after creating the AI animation “Tawan” with a budget of only $800. The reception was mixed, both positive and negative.
“From making the experimental film Tawan, I felt it could greatly benefit Thailand’s animation industry by introducing an AI workflow into pre-production. You can test scripts by laying out storyboards and animatics, linking story projects, and repeating experiments until you find the best way to tell the story. This strengthens the screenplay and yields the best version—close to the final production image. However, for quality production, skilled animators must still supervise animation to complete it,” Vik told Chatpawee Trichatchawanwong via the Ceemeagain Facebook page.
Vik consistently supports traditional art but acknowledges an undeniable truth: in commercial art, where artists work for money, compromises must be made for survival within limited time. AI shortens tedious production steps that can be distracting.
“There will be quantitative factors controlling production, inevitably affecting industrial artists. We have seen layoffs in many places over recent months. Ultimately, industrial artists will become fewer, but those who can integrate AI into their workflow will be more in demand locally and internationally,” Vik said.
Vik’s observations highlight the need to distinguish commercial art from art for the soul. Commercially, companies run increasingly on money, impacting quality—like Marvel Studios rushing production, resulting in criticized CGI, or other studios with tight schedules facing similar quality issues. We should recognize that while AI might replace us, truly appreciating humanity requires experiencing works created by human hands—be they books, films, or music.
Regarding Elon Musk’s announcement to create The Odyssey using AI to match the beauty Homer bestowed, this is inherently contradictory. Homer’s epics are hailed as creative works of great value to humanity, showcasing human perseverance and creativity in composing the Odyssey (whether by one or multiple authors). Thus, Musk’s plan to recreate The Odyssey with AI resembles building a plastic forest where every tree’s shape is calculated to honor nature’s grandeur.
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