“Avatar” director James Cameron, known for pushing the boundaries of visual effects, says he finds generative AI “horrifying.”
In a new CBS Sunday Morning interview ahead of the release of Avatar: Fire and Ash, Cameron addressed misconceptions that performance capture is similar to AI-generated characters. He explained that although performance capture uses advanced technology, it is built entirely on real human acting, not synthetic creations.
“For years, there was this sense that, ‘Oh they’re doing something strange with computers, and they’re replacing actors,’” Cameron said. “When in fact, once you really drill down and you see what we’re doing, it’s a celebration of the actor-director moment.”
The segment showed “Avatar” cast members performing underwater in a massive 250,000-gallon tank, a process designed to enhance realism rather than replace human performers.
However, Cameron drew a clear line when discussing generative AI, which can create characters, actors, and performances from text prompts.
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“Go to the other end of the spectrum and you’ve got generative AI, where they can make up a character, they can make up an actor, they can make up a performance from scratch,” he said. “No, that’s horrifying … That’s exactly what we’re not doing.”
Cameron’s comments reflect growing concerns in Hollywood about AI’s potential impact on creativity, authenticity, and the future of acting.
