Rogen slams AI filmmaking as Cannes splits over the technology

Seth Rogen dismissed AI scriptwriting at Cannes, saying writers who reach for the technology “shouldn’t be a writer” and don’t belong in the craft.yahoo
French director Xavier Gens told Reuters that generative AI could have halved VFX costs on his Netflix ↗0.55% hit “Under Paris” and cut months of post-production.reuters
The debate follows new Academy Awards rules barring AI-generated performances and scripts from Oscar eligibility, effective with the March 2027 ceremony.techcrunch

Cannes Divided Over AI in Cinema as Seth Rogen Rejects It

The 79th Cannes Film Festival has become a battleground over artificial intelligence in filmmaking, with actor and screenwriter Seth Rogen delivering a blunt dismissal of AI-assisted writing while other directors at the festival signal growing acceptance of the technology.

Rogen Draws a Line

Speaking to Brut while promoting his animated film “Tangles” at Cannes, Rogen called AI-generated content “stupid dog shit” and said writers who reach for AI tools should reconsider their careers. “If your instinct is to use AI instead of engaging in the creative process, then perhaps you shouldn’t be a writer, because you aren’t actually writing,” he said. Rogen added that the idea of a tool that reduces the effort of writing holds no appeal for him. “I genuinely enjoy the craft of writing,” he said.yahoo

A Pragmatic Counter

Not everyone at Cannes shares Rogen’s stance. French director Xavier Gens, who helmed the 2024 Netflix hit “Under Paris,” told Reuters that generative AI could have cut his visual effects budget from 4 million euros to roughly 2 million and shortened post-production from a year to three months. Gens said he plans to deploy the technology on the film’s sequel. At a separate forum during the festival, Chinese and French filmmakers urged producers to actively embrace AI upgrades, while actress Demi Moore called on the industry to find ways to work with the technology instead of “fighting a battle that we will lose”.reuters

New Rules From the Academy

The debate at Cannes follows a policy shift in Hollywood. In late April, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences updated its Oscar eligibility rules, declaring that only performances “demonstrably performed by humans” and screenplays that are “human-authored” will qualify for nominations, effective with the March 2027 ceremony. The Academy said it reserves the right to request additional details about a film’s AI usage. Festival director Thierry Frémaux has proposed a complementary idea: a certification label for films made entirely without AI, modeled on organic food labeling. “To ride an electric bike, you have to know how to ride a normal bike,” Frémaux told reporters.techcrunch