During an interview with A Rabbit’s Foot magazine, George Lucas, creator of Star Wars and one of the most influential figures in contemporary cinema, stated that artificial intelligence (AI) will become a relevant element within the film industry and considered that attempts to prevent its incorporation into the creative process will be difficult to sustain.
The 82-year-old filmmaker noted that artificial intelligence represents a tool that will allow for the simplification of various processes within audiovisual creation and is part of the evolution of the medium. “It means it is much easier for us to make movies,” he commented.
The director, born in Modesto, California, added that he does not consider it possible to stop the advance of technology and compared the current situation with other technological changes that transformed the way people work.
“There is nothing that can be done about it. That is progress, it is the future”, he/she said.
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George Lucas asserted that AI is part of progress and not a threat.
Lucas used the transition between horse-drawn carriages and the arrival of automobiles as a reference. He pointed out that, just as with other advancements, the emergence of new tools generates concerns, but also represents a shift within technological development.
The filmmaker also highlighted some applications that, from his perspective, can benefit film professionals.
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“If you want an AI that tells you when something is false and where it comes from, the AI can do it. We humans cannot, we are not that smart. The main idea is that you are a human being, you are responsible for what you say and what you do, and if you do something illegal, you should be punished for it. Whatever you do, you deserve recognition. It’s like in real life,” he said.
George Lucas considered that AI is useful for specific cases
During the interview, Lucas also spoke about the role of public opinion in filmmaking. The director explained that he is not a proponent of using focus groups as a tool to define the direction of a film.
As indicated, audience opinions can provide valuable information about certain elements of a production, such as the reception of a character or a story, but he/she believes they should not become a mechanism to completely modify a creator’s original vision.
“I don’t like focus groups; the audience doesn’t know what they want to see. If they don’t like a character, that’s interesting, and as a filmmaker I want to know why. But when studios hear that, they misunderstand the situation: they let the audience decide the movie,” he explained.
George Lucas stated that he does not like to ask for the public’s opinion to create a movie. (AFP)
Lucas stated that some film companies have increased the use of audience research and analysis regarding fan expectations, although he believes that a film should start from the vision of someone who has a story to tell and a creative motivation to develop it.
For the director, the emotional bond is one of the main elements of cinema. He explained that people go to movie theaters because of the ability of stories to generate emotions and highlighted that art functions as a medium based on emotional connection.
The filmmaker’s statements come at a time when artificial intelligence is generating debate within the audiovisual industry. Various sectors of the entertainment industry have discussed the use of this technology in areas such as image generation, visual effects, editing, and content development.
