Artificial intelligence has become a hot-button topic across creative industries over the past couple of years, but Star Wars creator George Lucas is among those who think the technology is “inevitable” when it comes to filmmaking.
Lucas gave a wide-ranging interview to French outlet Brut FR at the Cannes Film Festival recently, which you can watch in full below, in which he talks about his history in film, his thoughts on the future of cinema, and more. At one point during the 10-minute chat (around the 5:30 mark), the interviewer asks Lucas about how he feels about the use of AI in filmmaking, and Lucas starts by touching on the visual effects company he founded, Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), and the ways in which it’s changed cinematic technology.
“J’étais à la plage, à faire des châteaux de sables avec Steven Spielberg. Des amis m’ont appelé en disant : regarde les infos […], c’est là que j’ai compris que Star Wars était un vrai succès.”
Conversation entre @ATrapenard et George Lucas, qui reçoit une Palme d’or d’honneur… pic.twitter.com/uXMN78AktA— Brut FR (@brutofficiel) May 24, 2024
“Well, we’ve been using it for 25 years, and it’s not AI, but we use all the digital technology because we pioneered a lot of that,” he says. “Because especially at ILM, we were the only place that was doing digital.”
“But the thing of it is,” Lucas goes on, “it’s inevitable. I mean, it’s like saying, ‘I don’t believe these cars are gunna work. Let’s just stick with the horses. Let’s stick with the horses.’ And yeah, you can say that, but that isn’t the way the world works.”
A Touchy Subject
Lucas certainly isn’t wrong about ILM paving the way for digital technology in filmmaking, with many in the business citing the first Star Wars movie as the start of the VFX industry 50 years ago. But AI in particular has proven to be a much more controversial subject, especially when it comes to filmmaking.
It was one of the major sticking points in last year’s dual writers’ and actors’ strikes, with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA managing to win some key protections against the technology in their contract negotiations. It’s become something of a battleground, too, in the area of animation. Some in the business, however, are taking a mindset similar to Lucas’, and instead of trying to fight against AI, are trying to find ethical ways to work with the technology.
“The genie is out of the bottle,” voice actress Cissy Jones, who’s been working with the National Association of Voice Actors (NAVA) on the issue, previously told IGN. “You can’t stuff it back in. How do we make sure that we are part of the conversation so that we don’t get completely shut out?”
Plus, the VFX industry is facing a whole host of other issues, particularly as one of the only factions in Hollywood that isn’t unionized. IGN previously spoke with a number of VFX workers who are leading a potentially groundbreaking union effort at Marvel.
“They (studio executives) think AI is a quick fix, but it’s not,” in-house artist Maggie Kraisamutr previously told IGN. “It takes thousands of people to touch upon a single shot.”
Lucas is far from the only big name who’s been weighing in on AI as of late. Just earlier this week, Naughty Dog boss and The Last of Us co-creator Neil Druckmann said in an interview that he feels AI will “revolutionize” the video game development process, but still acknowledged the “ethical issues” surrounding it.
Lucas is currently at the Cannes Film Festival to receive an honorary Palme d’Or, which will be presented to him at the festival’s closing ceremony this weekend.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
Eugen Boglaru is an AI aficionado covering the fascinating and rapidly advancing field of Artificial Intelligence. From machine learning breakthroughs to ethical considerations, Eugen provides readers with a deep dive into the world of AI, demystifying complex concepts and exploring the transformative impact of intelligent technologies.
