Peter Jackson isn’t fully anti-AI, even as Hollywood grows more polarised

Hollywood is steadily warming up to AI. A wave of stars have spoken in favour of the usage of artificial intelligence in movies and now Peter Jackson has shared his mixed views on the growing influence of artificial intelligence in Hollywood.

Widely regarded as a visionary in filmmaking and visual effects for his work on the The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Jackson was recently honoured with an Honorary Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. A day later, during a masterclass session, the acclaimed director spoke candidly about the rise of AI-generated content in the film industry.

Peter Jackson's cites Gollum's example while weighing in on AI

Jackson admitted that AI could potentially “destroy the world” in terms of its impact on cinema, but clarified that he is not entirely opposed to the technology’s use in filmmaking.

Can AI make a Gollum?

"I don’t dislike it at all," Jackson admitted. "I mean, to me, it’s just a special effect. It’s no different from other special effects."

However, Jackson said it is "absolutely critical" to protect actors from having their likeness stolen and used without their permission.

He continued, "If you’re doing an AI duplicate of somebody, like Indiana Jones or anyone else, as long as you’ve licensed the rights off the person who you’re showing, I don’t see the issue. It’s when people’s likenesses get stolen and usurped."

Jackson also pointed out that the debate over AI and its emergence in Hollywood has seriously impacted people's perceptions of motion-capture performances, like Andy Serkis' portrayal of Gollum in the Lord of the Rings franchise.

"A lot of the current environment, everyone’s so worried about AI… I don’t think a Gollum-type character or a generated character has any hope for winning any awards," Jackson said. "Which is a bit unfair, especially in the Andy Serkis case where it’s not an AI-generated performance, it’s a human-generated performance 100% of the way."

What Hollywood thinks of the AI boom

At the same time, several prominent actors and filmmakers have voiced concerns about how AI could be exploited by studios at the cost of creativity and human artistry. Critics of the technology’s growing influence in entertainment include Nicolas Cage, Scarlett Johansson, John Cusack, Guillermo del Toro and Matthew McConaughey.

Major awards organisations have also shown differing approaches toward AI in film and television. Earlier this month, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences introduced updated guidelines aimed at restricting AI use in Oscar-nominated productions. Meanwhile, the Golden Globe Awards revised its eligibility rules in a way that is more accommodating to AI-assisted projects.

Under the Golden Globes’ updated policy, the use of AI will not automatically make a performance ineligible for acting categories, provided that “performances submitted for acting categories [are] primarily derived from the work of the credited performer.”

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