George Lucas: rejecting AI in filmmaking is like choosing horses over cars

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As Hollywood and audiences wrestle with the impact of AI, one legend of cinema has said rejecting using the technology to make movies is like rejecting cars in favor of horses.

George Lucas, who founded Lucasfilm, Industrial Light & Magic, and THX, and revolutionized special effects in Hollywood, has said that AI — warts and all — represents progress, and “there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“Artificial intelligence means it’s much easier for us to make movies,” he told A Rabbit’s Foot . “It’s very much like sitting here saying, ‘Well, I believe the horse and the buggy is really where it’s at. These cars, they break down, they need gas, there’s all kinds of problems with them and pretty soon they’ll be making them into tanks, and then they’ll be killing people. It’s terrible.’ There’s nothing you can do about it.

“That’s progress, it’s the future.”

The 82-year-old Star Wars creator, who has retired from filmmaking, insisted that AI can be used to combat the dangers of AI itself, such as detecting when something is fake, and said those who use AI to “do something that’s illegal… should be punished.”

AI is the hottest topic in entertainment, with its impact across everything from movies to video games top of mind as storefronts are flooded by ‘AI slop’ and corporations incorporate it into their businesses in a bid to improve productivity. There’s even an entirely AI-generated The Odyssey film — deliberately timed to run up against the release of Christopher Nolan’s big budget The Odyssey — although it has been heavily criticized.

Indeed, Lucas’ comments here are in stark contrast to those of Nolan himself, who recently expressed delight in what he called the “rejection” of AI slop by younger audiences . 21-year-old Backrooms director Kane Parsons has called AI “genuinely harmful” to creativity, and a symptom of “cultural and economic rot.” “I think I’m in the same boat as most well-adjusted people,” Parsons told The Australian . “If I could snap my fingers and make generative AI disappear forever, I probably would. Creatively, I get no enjoyment from using those tools. It defeats the purpose entirely for me.

Lucas’ comments on AI were criticized by some who were quick to turn to Star Wars quotes to express their disappointment. “You were the chosen one!” is a common response, as are famous Darth Vader quotes about impending doom.

Others, however, suggested Lucas’ thoughts on AI shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, given his history with incorporating technology into the filmmaking process. Indeed, Lucas has said much the same about AI in the past.

“I mean, this isn't at all surprising,” one person said . “Do you remember how crazy he was for CGI? He definitely would have made a movie with mostly AI if not entirely. This is actually a very very George Lucas take.”

“George has a very mechanic mindset when it comes to film making,” another fan said . “AI is just another tool in the tool box to him and as a mechanic of course he's going to want to use the cool new tool. He's not like studio executives who dream of replacing people with it to increase profits.”

Photo by Daniel Knighton/Getty Images.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.