In a recent roundtable discussion with NPR, Guillermo del Toro declared that he would “rather die” than use artificial intelligence, specifically generative AI, in his future films. He likened the growing cultural fascination surrounding controversial technology to the “arrogance” displayed by the titular literary madman in Netflix’s version of “Frankenstein.”
“I’m not interested in AI, especially generative AI, and I never will be,” del Toro said. “I’m 61 years old, and I hope I never show any interest in using it until it cries.…Someone wrote me an email the other day and said, ‘What’s your stance on AI?’ And my answer was very short. I said, “I’d be better off dead.” ”
The “Pan’s Labyrinth” director explained that the real danger lies not in the technology itself, but in the “stupidity of nature” that can cause AI to be mishandled. He added that “inherent stupidity” is driving “most of the world’s worst characteristics.” He also connected the character of Victor Frankenstein to those at the forefront of AI development.
“I wanted Victor’s (Frankenstein’s) arrogance to be similar to his technology brother in a way,” he said. “I think we need to stop and think about where we are going because he is blind in a sense and creates things without considering the consequences.”
Directed by del Toro, Frankenstein is based on Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel of the same name and stars Jacob Elordi, Oscar Isaac, Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz and Ralph Ineson. The film will be released on Netflix on November 7th.
