In a recent conversation, Guillermo del Toro declared that he would “rather die” than employ artificial intelligence, “particularly generative AI,” in any of his upcoming film projects.
He drew a parallel between the escalating cultural obsession with the contentious technology and the “arrogance” exhibited by the famous literary mad scientist in his Netflix adaptation of “Frankenstein.”
“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.’”
The director of “Pan’s Labyrinth” elaborated that the genuine perils lie not within the technology itself, but with “natural stupidity,” which could precipitate the mismanagement of AI. He further stated that “natural stupidity” is what propels “most of the world’s worst features.” He proceeded to link the character of Victor Frankenstein to those leading the charge in AI development.
“I did want it to have the arrogance of Victor [Frankenstein] be similar in some ways to the tech bros,” he said. “He’s kind of blind, creating something without considering the consequences and I think we have to take a pause and consider where we’re going.”
Del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” which is based on Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel of the same name, features a cast including Jacob Elordi, Oscar Isaac, Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, and Ralph Ineson. The film will be available on Netflix starting November 7.