James Cameron Calls AI Replacing Actors ‘Horrifying’; Art ‘Sacred’

https://deadline.com/2025/11/james-cameron-gen-ai-horrifying-human-art-sacred-avatar-1236631387/

22 Comments

  1. From the article 

    Though James Cameron — who sits on the board of Stability AI — has expressed positive sentiments about artificial intelligence usage in filmmaking, he calls the prospect of the technology replacing actors “horrifying” and maintains its implementation will inevitably raise the bar for our standards on human-made art.

    In an extended interview with CBS Sunday Morning promoting the forthcoming Avatar: Fire and Ash, the three-time Oscar winner segued into talk about generative AI while discussing his affinity for motion capture, which he described as the “purest form” of performance

  2. DeltaForceFish on

    On the other hand; we could have stranger things still played by children, not 20 year olds who look like 30 year olds.

  3. The sampling era (invention of microphone and camera) is drawing to a close.

    The instantiation era (invention of synthesiser and CGI) is reaching maturity.

  4. Art being replaced is the least of our problems with AI.

    It is going for entry level jobs office jobs, management jobs, professional jobs.

  5. AI will be for the simple made for TV/netflux movies you can churn out sleeping…
    Movies with real humans at any part of the creation will be the modern high art.

    Yes, it’s 2.30 and I’m in a very cynical mood.

  6. Plane-Top-3913 on

    AI is horrible for everyone but billionaires. Time for the bubble to pop and governments to act

  7. Underwater_Karma on

    How many “characters’ in “Fire and Ash” are entirely CGI with no actor being paid for the role?

    How many Jimmy? He’s been using CGI instead of actual actors for decades and now what’s to pretend he’s he working actors hero

  8. Obiwan_ca_blowme on

    Actor or everyone else? Hmm, I won’t cry over actors losing their jobs nearly as much as the rest of us. The rest of us that he seems to not care about.

  9. Samurai swords were also sacred until the long gun showed up off the coasts of Japan. Either change with new technology or be consumed by it.

  10. From all the examples I’ve seen real actors and artists have nothing to be afraid of, average intelligence isn’t replacing anything that needs quality. BUT it’s going to replace all the entryways which means it’s going to be harder for people to make a living as they develop skills.

  11. Whilst Art is truly great, there will always be those who take short cuts. A true dilemma that’s only going to get worse.

  12. VolcanicVortexx on

    It’s not sacred. Why should millionaire actors be placed on a pedestal? I’m sure he doesn’t give a shit about my job.

  13. tomthecomputerguy on

    Amazon have apparently started using AI to dub Anime into english and spanish. I’ve not heard it but based on how bad autodubbing on youtube sounds, spending multiple hours listening to it would be a kind of torture.

    This is what happens when you replace talented voice actors with a machine.

    I highly recommend watching some of yarnhubs videos in japanese (you can choose a japanese audio track), they use a real japanese guy for the translation.

  14. AI is the ultimate actor. It can give the exact emotional response at just the right time. It can do its own stunt work and works tirelessly. It doesn’t complain and needs no pay.

    Ultimately acting is just performing from a script – exactly what AI excels at. We will see a lot more of it.

  15. That’s funny since I consider Green Screens to be a much more grotesque offender. I’d rather see a real street or building in the background than the perfect CGI recreation.

  16. The day a human actor and ai actor play in the same movie is going to be the catalyst for if it works or not🤷🏾not done ye, but 2026 for sure that popular AI Actress co-starring with Sydney Sweeney😂😂

  17. I’d give his words more weight if he hadn’t spent the last 15+ years making Avatar movies exclusively

  18. Bro you ruined the 4K uprezzes of all your movies with AI, and *now* you care about disrespecting human art?

    GTFO Jimmy Cams, come back when you’ve recognized and fixed your mistakes.