Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro used his acceptance speech at the 2025 Gotham Film Awards rebuke the spike in usage of artificial intelligence, and declared “f**k AI” before the audience.
Del Toro's newest film is the gothic sci-fi film Frankenstein, which received widespread acclaim. The director was on stage alongside stars Jacob Elordi and Oscar Isaac to receive the Vanguard Tribute, an honour that was announced for in October.
Del Toro went on to thank his cast and crew, stressing that the recognition truly belonged to them for their human creativity and hard work in bringing the horror film to life.
"I’d like to tell the rest of our extraordinary cast and our crew that the artistry of all of them shines on every single frame of this film that was wilfully made by humans, for humans," he said.
"The designers, builders, make-up, wardrobe team, cinematographers, composers, editors, this tribute belongs to all of them. I would like to extend our gratitude and say: F**k AI," the Frankenstein director added.
Del Toro’s drew laughter and applause inside the venue as audiences responded warmly. Jacob Elordi and Oscar Isaac showed their solidarity by smiling and clapping in support. Del Toro’s Frankenstein featuring Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Elordi as the Creature was honoured with the Vanguard Tribute, an award that recognises “pioneering films that push the boundaries of cinema through fearless artistic choices.”
This is not the first time the director has renounced the use of artificial intelligence. In a recent interview with NPR, Guillermo del Toro said he would “rather die” than incorporate artificial intelligence, especially generative AI, into any of his future filmmaking projects.
“AI, particularly generative AI — I am not interested, nor will I ever be interested,” del Toro said. “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.'”
Frankenstein made a strong impression at the 2025 Venice International Film Festival, and received a 13-minute standing ovation. Written and directed by del Toro and inspired by Mary Shelley’s landmark 1818 novel, the upcoming Netflix adaptation centres on the brilliant but arrogant scientist Victor Frankenstein, whose reckless experiment brings a living being to life and ultimately leads to the tragic destruction of both creator and creation.
The cast includes Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, two-time Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz, Felix Kammerer and Lauren Collins.
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