Renowned Hollywood director James Cameron recently revealed in an episode of the podcast “Boz to the Future” that he is currently pondering on how to leverage AI technology to reduce film production costs while ensuring that AI does not replace the production team.
In 2024, Cameron joined the board of AI company Stability AI, which is the developer of the well-known image generation model Stable Diffusion. Regarding his decision to join Stability, Cameron expressed, “In the past, I might have started my own AI company to explore this field. But I have learned that this may not be the most effective way. So, joining a competitive and mature enterprise is a wiser choice.”
Cameron stated that his purpose in joining Stability is not for profit, but to “closely understand the developers’ ways of thinking and research processes,” and to explore how to efficiently integrate AI technology into the visual effects production process.
His vision is clear: “If we want to continue to see big-budget VFX films like ‘Dune’ and ‘Dune 2,’ we must find ways to cut costs in half. But this does not mean cutting half of the VFX team; it means improving work efficiency, making the production cycle of each shot shorter and faster-paced. This way, artists can swiftly move on to the next cool project and continue to output creativity.”
Amid the recent surge of AI-generated images in Ghibli style flooding the internet, Cameron expressed concern about the trend of generating content that imitates a particular style, as he believes it could lead to copyright disputes and ethical issues in creativity. He frankly admitted that seeing someone inputting “in the style of James Cameron” for AI creation would make him feel “uncomfortable.”
Cameron also candidly acknowledged that imitating the styles of masters is not uncommon, as he himself often finds inspirations in the styles of Ridley Scott or Stanley Kubrick when creating. He added, “Every creator knows who has influenced them.”
Previously, Cameron openly expressed skepticism about AI. In 2023, during an interview with CTV News, he mentioned his 1984 film “The Terminator” and emphasized that weaponizing artificial intelligence is the greatest threat. He believed that AI cannot write outstanding scripts.
To him, “I personally do not believe that a non-physical mind can replicate the experiences of other flesh-and-blood beings about love, lies, fear, death, etc., pile them up as a ‘word salad,’ and spit them out. I don’t believe that such a thing can move an audience. To write a moving script, you must be human. I don’t know who is considering having AI to write scripts.” He even stated that he would seriously consider it only if in 20 years, AI wins an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
Cameron’s choice to delve into AI has sparked curiosity among many. He explained, “I have spent my whole life searching for new technologies that push the boundaries, all for the sake of telling great stories. Over thirty years ago, I was one of the first to embrace computer animation technology and have been at the forefront of technology.” He emphasized that AI should be used as an assisting tool, not as a replacement for human labor.
Regarding the copyright disputes over AI training data, Cameron put forth a unique perspective. He believed that rather than overly fixating on what AI has “learned,” the law and industry should focus more on what AI has “produced” and whether the content constitutes infringement.
Furthermore, as a creator like himself, Cameron explained, “Each of us reacts based on past ‘training data’ (life experiences). As a writer and director, if I completely mimic ‘Star Wars,’ of course, I would be sued. But in reality, I wouldn’t even get to that point because investors would see it as too similar to ‘Star Wars’ and wouldn’t fund it. Creators inherently have a moral judgment mechanism, knowing what they are drawing inspiration from and understanding the need to maintain enough distance from the original work to make their own work original.”
At 70 years old this year, Cameron began his directing career in 1981, specializing in shooting high-budget action and sci-fi films. After his breakthrough with the second feature film “The Terminator” in 1984, he went on to create blockbusters like “Alien,” “The Abyss,” “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” “True Lies,” “Titanic,” and “Avatar,” with nearly each one being a major hit.