Cannes Film Festival is becoming a major forum for debate over artificial intelligence, with filmmakers and industry leaders divided over whether the technology will help cinema evolve or threaten creative jobs.
At this year’s festival, AI has emerged as one of the most discussed topics, reflecting growing concern over how the technology could reshape the global film industry.
Scott Mann, co-chief executive of AI company Flawless, said the industry appears to be reaching a turning point.
“It feels like a major shift,” he said, adding that AI could provide the technological boost the film business needs.
AI is more visible than ever at Cannes this year. Meta has signed a multiyear partnership with the festival and set up a presence at the Majestic Hotel.
Meta’s AI tools were also used in Steven Soderbergh’s documentary John Lennon: The Last Interview.
The film explores a detailed interview that John Lennon and Yoko Ono gave on the day Lennon was killed in 1980. Soderbergh used AI to create surreal visuals to accompany the conversation.
While some critics objected to the use of AI, Soderbergh said experimentation is necessary to understand the limits of the technology.
Views at Cannes vary widely.
Actor Demi Moore, a member of the festival jury, said resisting AI is likely to be futile.
Filmmaker Peter Jackson compared AI to any other special effect, while director James Gray said AI may be useful but cannot replicate the depth of human emotion and creativity.
Gray urged young people to study literature and the humanities to better understand human nature.
The debate comes as Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently introduced new rules stating that only performances actually given by human actors, with their consent, will be eligible for acting awards.
At the same time, the Academy said the use of AI tools will neither help nor hurt a film’s Oscar chances.
SAG-AFTRA has also reached a tentative agreement with studios to establish safeguards for the use of digital replicas and synthetic performers.
Some developments have alarmed Hollywood, including the unveiling of Tilly Norwood, a fully AI-generated virtual actress, and a planned AI recreation of late actor Val Kilmer for a new film approved by his family.
Kent Sanderson, CEO of Bleecker Street, said AI is likely to reduce production costs and make filmmaking more accessible.
Cannes artistic director Thierry Frémaux said the festival supports artists and workers whose jobs could be affected by AI.
He stressed the need for clear laws and regulations to ensure the technology is used responsibly.
Mann agreed that unlicensed generative AI poses risks, but said the technology should not be viewed as a single, all-encompassing threat.
He said AI, if used carefully and ethically, could help revitalize the film industry rather than replace the people who power it.