The use of artificial intelligence in Hollywood is a hot-button topic, whether it’s the WGA demanding a ban on the use of AI bots during the current writers strike or recent criticism over Marvel using it to create the opening credits for Secret Invasion. Director Guillermo del Toro recently dismissed fears about AI at an informal sitdown in Portland over the weekend, saying we should instead be more concerned with “natural stupidity.”
The sound bite comes from a chat with curator Amy Dotson at the Portland Art Museum in Oregon, during which the Pan’s Labyrinth mastermind shared his thoughts (via IndieWire) about the current state of creativity. He pinned his hopes on “the next generation” after admitting “we are a horrible human race.”
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“I remain enthusiastic but skeptical,” del Toro said. “We do great stuff, and many people are great.” He continued by saying he finds inspiration in “people who are fearless,” rather than those who focus on how the world is “all dire” and are afraid of AI.
del Toro explained, “I don’t fear artificial intelligence, I fear natural stupidity. Any intelligence in this world is artificial. When I look at the people coming into the art scene and how they are in spite of all the things that are hardships and all the things weighing against it, they love art, and that’s what makes my spirit sing.”
It’s true that AI can be a useful tool by presenting a lower barrier of entry into creative pursuits, but as del Toro points out, there’s no substitution for human creativity. As the recent director of a stop-motion Pinocchio film, he would know firsthand the importance of the human touch while building fictional worlds.
