Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro warns against cinema illiteracy
Acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has expressed concern about the impact AI will have on the movie industry.
Guillermo del Toro feels that AI poses a grave threat to cinema.
The Hellboy director claims that the technology has left the world on the "verge of cinema illiteracy" as he gave an impassioned speech at a BFI America event on Monday (15.06.26) evening.
Del Toro said: "We are on the verge of image illiteracy. We are on the verge of cinema illiteracy."
The 61-year-old filmmaker describes AI as a form of "natural stupidity" and expressed dismay at the way the tech has impacted the human process of creating art.
Del Toro - whose other movie credits include The Shape of Water and Pinocchio – said: "The pact between man and image is sacred, but we are in a time when that is in danger.
"We are told images can be generated by artificial means. The existence of an image is not just to be there. It is to connect us, to make us feel beauty."
The Mexican director explained that he is entering the "giving back" phase of his life by working with groups like the BFI to teach classes on legendary filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock.
Del Toro said: "We are not gatekeepers. We are gate-holders so more people can come in and out of the church of cinema. I've been saved by images so many times in my life."
