Soderbergh defends generative AI
Director Steven Soderbergh publicly defended using generative AI in films, calling it a tool to explore and predicting the debate may cool as the trend becomes a 'fun phase.' His remarks contribute to ongoing public conversations about AI and creative work. (x.com)
Steven Soderbergh said in interviews published April 7 and April 11 that he is using generative artificial intelligence in film work and is “just not threatened by it.” (filmmakermagazine.com) (variety.com) In Filmmaker Magazine, Soderbergh said he used artificial intelligence on a John Lennon and Yoko Ono documentary that is “almost done,” adding that about 10 minutes of imagery was created to depict “thematically surreal images” rather than literal scenes. (filmmakermagazine.com) (polygon.com) He also said he wants to use “a lot of AI” on a planned Spanish-American War film with Wagner Moura, describing the software as useful for building “dream spaces” under close human supervision. (filmmakermagazine.com) (pastemagazine.com) Generative artificial intelligence systems make new text, images, audio, or video from patterns learned from large training datasets, and their spread in Hollywood has collided with fights over consent, pay, and copyright. (copyrightalliance.org) (filmmakermagazine.com) Those fights reshaped labor contracts in 2023, when the Writers Guild of America won terms saying artificial intelligence cannot write or rewrite literary material and that writers cannot be required to use it. (wgacontract2023.org) The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists also ratified a 2023 film and television deal with rules on consent and compensation for digital replicas, and the union said on April 7, 2026 that it will resume new talks with studios on April 27. (deadline.com) (yahoo.com) Studios have pushed back from the other side too. Disney and Universal sued Midjourney in 2025, arguing the image generator made unauthorized copies of characters including Darth Vader, Elsa, Shrek, and Homer Simpson. (variety.com) (copyrightalliance.org) Soderbergh told Variety he respects people who refuse to engage with the technology, but said ignoring it is “a privilege” and predicted the current argument may cool once the industry moves past what he called a “fun phase.” (variety.com) His comments land in an industry that is still writing rules for artificial intelligence while directors, writers, actors, and studios test where the tool fits and where it does not. (wgacontract2023.org) (deadline.com) (copyrightalliance.org)
