"I Would Rather Die": Guillermo Del Toro Slams Generative AI

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape modern society, legendary filmmaker Guillermo del Toro makes his stance abundantly clear. In promotion for his newest release, Frankenstein, the Oscar-winner likens the emerging technology to the titular scientist’s drive to defy death.

Speaking with NPR, del Toro stated that his “concern is not artificial intelligence, but natural stupidity,” which he thinks “that’s what drives most of the world’s worst features.” Interestingly, the director channeled this scientific folly in his version of Victor Frankenstein.

“I did want it to have the arrogance of Victor be similar in some ways to the tech bros,” said del Toro. “He’s kind of blind, creating something without considering the consequences, and I think we have to take a pause and consider where we’re going.“

Shifting topics, del Toro explained why the warning issued within the Frankenstein story is so relevant in present day, sharing his disdain for AI and its use in film. The director stated: “AI, particularly generative AI — I am not interested, nor will I ever be interested. I’m 61, and I hope to be able to remain uninterested in using it at all until I croak.“

Del Toro further doubled down by adding:

The other day, somebody wrote me an email, said, “What is your stance on AI?” And my answer was very short. I said, “I’d rather die.”

Del Toro has long been a champion of creativity in film, with his work having a trademark inimitable weirdness to it. According to the filmmaker, this traces back to his love of the 1931 Frankenstein adaptation.

“I saw the resurrection of the flesh, the immaculate conception, ecstasy, stigmata. Everything made sense,” del Toro said elsewhere in the interview. “I understood my faith or my dogmas better through Frankenstein than through Sunday mass.“

His affection for the cinema classic redirected his life, and it further contextualizes why the use of AI in film may not sit well with him. Del Toro’s comments come as AI has already begun to upend the film industry.

Major industry figures such as Joe and Anthony Russo have fully embraced using AI in their films, and the AI performer Tilly Norwood has ignited extensive controversy among actors and audiences alike. Del Toro’s concerns are becoming all the more relevant the more AI use becomes mainstream, posing an interesting thought: maybe we should heed Mary Shelley’s warnings about scientific ambition.