Demi Moore warns about artificial intelligence at Cannes jury press conference

Demi Moore used the Cannes Film Festival’s opening jury press conference to weigh in on artificial intelligence, saying Hollywood should learn to work with the technology rather than try to stop it. Speaking on May 12 at the 2026 Feature Film Jury press conference in Cannes, Moore said “AI is here” and described outright resistance as a losing fight. Variety reported that Moore was answering a question about AI’s effect on the movie business and whether stronger safeguards were needed. Vanity Fair’s Cannes live coverage also flagged Moore’s comments as part of the festival’s opening-week press activity. The official Festival de Cannes live page lists the Feature Film Jury press conference on May 12 and says the 79th edition of the festival runs from May 12 through May 23. ### What exactly did Demi Moore say about AI? Demi Moore said the industry should look for ways to coexist with the technology. “AI is here,” Moore said, according to Variety, adding that “to fight it is to fight something that is a battle that we will lose.” She said a “more valuable path” would be to “find ways in which we can work with it.” (vanityfair.com) (variety.com) Moore also said she did not think existing protections were necessarily adequate. Asked whether enough was being done to protect people, she said her “inclination” was “probably not,” according to Variety’s report from the room. ### Did Moore present AI as a threat to artists? Moore drew a distinction between technical tools and the source of artistic work. (variety.com) Variety reported that she said AI may have “beautiful aspects” in how it can be used, but argued it could not replace human expression. She said true art comes from “the soul” and “the spirit” of the people who create it. That framing put Moore in a middle position often heard in entertainment debates: acceptance of the technology’s presence, paired with a claim that creative authorship remains human. In Cannes, though, Moore stated that position in direct terms and attached it to the question of regulation. ### Where did this come up at Cannes? (variety.com) The Festival de Cannes identified the event as the “2026 Feature Film Jury – Press Conference,” held on May 12. The official live schedule also lists the jury photocall the same day and subsequent interviews with jury members and president Park Chan-wook on May 13 and Ruth Negga on May 14. Variety said Moore’s AI remarks came during the opening press conference for this year’s competition jury. (variety.com) Moore is serving on the jury alongside president Park Chan-wook, actor Ruth Negga, filmmaker Chloé Zhao, screenwriter Paul Laverty, actor Stellan Skarsgård, director Laura Wandel, director Diego Céspedes and actor Isaach de Bankolé. (festival-cannes.com) ### What else was discussed in the same press conference? Variety reported that politics and artistic expression also came up in the session. Moore said she would hope that speaking freely about politics would not harm film careers, and argued that censoring expression would shut down creativity. Park Chan-wook, according to the same report, said he did not believe politics should be separated from art. (variety.com) Those comments placed Moore’s AI answer inside a broader opening-day discussion about how filmmakers and jury members see the pressures on cultural work. ### Why are these remarks getting attention now? Vanity Fair highlighted Moore’s AI comments in its Cannes live updates, and trade coverage moved quickly after the May 12 press conference. (variety.com) The remarks landed as AI remains a live issue across film and television, especially around authorship, labor protections and regulation, though Moore’s comments in Cannes were focused on adaptation rather than prohibition. The Cannes schedule gives the comments a longer runway than a one-day press hit. The official festival page says the 79th Cannes Film Festival continues until May 23, with ongoing jury appearances, press events and competition screenings still ahead. (festival-cannes.com) (vanityfair.com)