‘AI actor’ Tilly Norwood stirs outrage in Hollywood
New York Post6 days
First AI-Directed Film 'The Sweet Idleness' Announced
Above: AI signage at the World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit in Mumbai, India, on May 2, 2025. Image copyright: Indranil Aditya/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images
The Spin
Techno-skeptic narrative
AI fundamentally threatens cinema's soul by replacing human artistry with algorithmic shortcuts. Unlike previous technological advances, it doesn't enhance creativity — it eliminates it entirely. Every AI-generated performance or direction means a human artist loses opportunity in this zero-sum industry. Film springs from lived experience, emotional depth and collaborative vision that no machine can authentically replicate, making AI's integration an existential threat to authentic storytelling itself.
Techno-optimist narrative
AI represents cinema's evolution, not extinction. Like sound, CGI and streaming before it, this technology democratizes filmmaking, empowering historically excluded voices beyond traditional gatekeeping. When used thoughtfully — enhancing dialogue accuracy or expanding vocal ranges — AI enriches human artistry rather than replacing it. Understanding and leveraging these tools strategically allows creators to focus on storytelling's irreplaceable human elements while expanding creative possibilities.
Narrative C
Despite AI's technological advances, cinema remains fundamentally human. Directors possess irreplaceable vision — seeing what machines cannot — while artists bring storytelling instincts that no algorithm can replicate. As James Cameron observes, creative culture thrives when artists control the process, making spontaneous judgments that define authentic filmmaking. True cinema demands human sensitivity, imagination and the intangible artistry that transforms technical craft into emotional truth.