Artificial intelligence tsunami hits Cannes Film Festival sparking fierce debate

The 79th Cannes Film Festival became a global forum for the film industry's most pressing concerns, with artificial intelligence emerging as the dominant topic, its arrival felt like a "tsunami" on the French Riviera. The technology's potential to reshape cinema, for better or worse, sparked intense debate from the outset, though a softening of tone was observed in many circles.

Scott Mann, co-chief executive of Flawless, a company specialising in assistive AI for post-production, noted: "The buzz in Cannes and the buzz in the industry, it does feel like it’s definitely a turning point." Indeed, AI's presence was palpable both on and off screen. Signifying this shift, Cannes forged a new multi-year partnership with Meta, which established a significant presence at the Majestic Hotel. Crucially, Meta's AI tools were deployed in a festival entry: Steven Soderbergh's John Lennon: The Last Interview.

Steven SoderberghAP Photo/John Locher

The documentary, which centres on a profound interview Lennon and Yoko Ono gave on the day of Lennon's 1980 assassination, saw Soderbergh utilise Meta's AI programmes to generate surreal graphics, complementing Lennon's conversation. While the creative choice drew scorn from many critics at Cannes, Soderbergh, a renowned innovator known for shooting films on iPhones, defended the need for such experimentation. "We haven’t seen yet someone with a certain amount of creative credibility go full-metal AI on something, and see how people react. I think it’s necessary," Soderbergh stated. "How do you know where the line is until somebody crosses it? I don’t think what I’m doing crosses it. Some people may disagree. I don’t know where my line is yet. I’m waiting to see."

Filmmakers, actors, and industry figures across the festival offered diverse perspectives, either embracing or cautioning against the technology. Opening day saw juror Demi Moore declare that fighting AI "is a battle we will lose." The following day, honorary Palme d'Or recipient Peter Jackson remarked: "I don’t dislike it at all. To me, it’s just a special effect. It’s no different from other special effects." Filmmaker James Gray, whose acclaimed family drama "Paper Tiger" was a festival highlight, expressed little concern. "In some cases, it can be a very helpful tool," Gray commented. "I don’t think in our lifetime, or even our children’s lifetimes, it will come close to mirroring the only true infinite we know, which is the soul." He added: "The answer I think is that most young people should be studying the humanities. People should be reading Tolstoy in their spare time to understand the human soul."

The discussions at Cannes unfolded against a backdrop of significant recent developments concerning AI in Hollywood. Earlier this month, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences issued new guidelines, stipulating that only performances "demonstrably performed by humans with their consent" would be eligible for acting nominations. Concurrently, the Academy clarified that AI tools "neither help nor harm the chance of a nomination." The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) also recently secured a tentative agreement with studios, outlining AI guardrails for digital replicas and synthetic performers.

However, certain advancements have sent shudders through Hollywood. The introduction of Tilly Norwood, an entirely AI-created "actress," provoked widespread outrage, while the posthumous AI resurrection of Val Kilmer for a film, made with his family's consent, ignited further debate earlier this year. Yet, even as extreme applications of generative AI fuel concern, other iterations are steadily gaining traction. "It is going to be a part of our business," stated Kent Sanderson, Bleecker Street chief executive, during a panel discussion. "It is going to lower production costs, and yes, you probably will be able to make something that looks like a Marvel movie in your basement in a couple of years."

Peter JacksonAP Photo/John Locher

While Cannes maintains stringent rules for red carpet attire, it has, for now, issued no decrees banning AI from film selections. The festival's artistic director, Thierry Frémaux, offered a wry response to an AI query the day before the event, noting that James Cameron had also employed special effects for "Avatar." "What I can say with certainty in relation to artificial intelligence is that we are on the side of the artists, the screenwriters, actors and voice actors," Frémaux affirmed. "We stand with everyone whose job could be negatively impacted by artificial intelligence. It requires legislation. We need to control this."

Meanwhile, Mr Mann, the Flawless executive, observed the discussions from a party his company hosted on the Cannes beach. Since 2019, Flawless has aimed to showcase the thoughtful application of AI. He unequivocally stated that unlicensed generative AI is detrimental. "But what we’ve found is that the way people don’t understand is part of the problem. AI as a term is seen as a catchall, but it’s not that simple," Mr Mann explained. "The truth is, our industry needs saving. It needs a technological evolution, and this is offering it."