As Hollywood continues to soften its stance on artificial intelligence, Guillermo del Toro remains immovable in his opposition to AI in cinema.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker returned to San Diego Comic-Con to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Pan’s Labyrinth.
When discussing its upcoming 3D re-release in theaters, premiering Oct. 9, del Toro assured fans that “absolutely no goddamn AI” was used to convert the movie. “It’s much more expensive. I don’t care. The thing is, what we’re protecting is the beauty and the redeeming power of art. It’s not about who gets the job,” said del Toro to cheers from the crowd. “We are protecting a lineage of art. If we cut a generation of people from learning their craft, you’re cutting the rest of the history of that medium away from them for what?”
When speaking to NPR last year, del Toro made it clear that he wasn’t interested in the tech and said he’d “rather die” than use AI. “AI, particularly generative AI — I am not interested, nor will I ever be interested,” he told NPR. “I’m 61, and I hope to be able to remain uninterested in using it at all until I croak. … The other day, somebody wrote me an email, said, ‘What is your stance on AI?’ And my answer was very short. I said, ‘I’d rather die.'”
Pan’s Labyrinth, a Spanish-language film released in 2006 and praised for its gothic surrealism, garnered $83 million worldwide at the box office and three Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, and Best Makeup.
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