{"id":249733,"date":"2025-10-25T00:53:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-25T00:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/249733\/"},"modified":"2025-10-25T00:53:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T00:53:12","slug":"guillermo-del-toro-on-generative-ai-id-rather-die","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/249733\/","title":{"rendered":"Guillermo del Toro on Generative AI: ‘I’d Rather Die’"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve learned quite a bit about Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro during the press tour for his film adaptation of Mary Shelley\u2019s novel Frankenstein<\/a>.\u00a0Things like his ingenious use of\u00a0miniatures in the movie<\/a>, his desire to tackle\u00a0The Phantom of the Opera<\/a>, that he\u2019s in tune with his feminine side<\/a> as a creator, and the fact that he doesn\u2019t need an Oscar for the film because he\u2019s already got Oscar Isaac. Key among his revelations is his joining creatives<\/a> in offering a\u00a0refreshing rebuke of AI in the arts<\/a>\u2014a stance he\u2019s dug in on, saying he\u2019d rather die than use\u00a0it in his projects.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Speaking with NPR<\/a> about a myriad of hot-button issues, like ICE raids in Los Angeles<\/a>, del Toro expanded on his sentiment about AI, saying his concern is less with artificial intelligence than with \u201cnatural stupidity.\u201d Along the way, he tied AI\u2019s biggest proponents to the audacity of one Victor Frankenstein.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s what drives most of the world\u2019s worst features,\u201d del Toro told NPR. \u201cBut did want it to have the arrogance Victor [Frankenstein] be similar in some ways with tech bros. He\u2019s kind of blind, creating something without considering the consequences and I think we have to take pause and consider where we\u2019re going.\u201d<\/p>\n

As del Toro alludes, the aftermath of folks using AI models has detrimental effects not only on users\u2019 short-term memory\u2014asking Grok or ChatGPT inquiries they could suss out themselves with a cursory Google search or by actually clicking on articles they stopped at the headline for\u2014but also on the environment<\/a>. Chief among them is boiling the Earth\u2019s water to keep its systems cool<\/a>, in service of shitting out folks\u2019 silly, blatantly copyright-infringing-generated images<\/a> for low-effort memes.<\/p>\n

Alongside it being counter to the artistry of human beings creating art, del Toro saying, in no uncertain terms, \u201cFuck AI,\u201d is a sentiment that resonates with tons of folks, be they avid fans of the arts or human creatives with their livelihoods at stake<\/a> with its pervasive rise.<\/p>\n

\u201cFuck AI\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Guillermo del Toro<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfa5 @VanityFair<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/6goCsK3OET<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Culture Crave \ud83c\udf7f (@CultureCrave) October 18, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Expanding on his sentiments about AI, del Toro clarified that his disdain is primarily directed at generative AI, a machine-learning model he\u2019s not interested in and will never be.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m 61, and I hope to be able to remain uninterested in using it at all until I croak,\u201d he continued. \u201cThe other day, somebody wrote me an email, said, \u2018What is your stance on AI?\u2019 And my answer was very short. I said, \u2018I\u2019d rather die.’\u201d<\/p>\n

Del Toro\u2019s take comes at a time when more and more films include in their credits that no generative AI was used in their orchestration. Inversely, its presence in films like Late Night With the Devil<\/a>, has led to some folks scrunching their faces at the film cutting corners in its production when it could\u2019ve done the bare minimum in hiring human artists for its retro showtime bumper illustrations.<\/a><\/p>\n

Despite some filmmakers, like Mad Max director George Miller<\/a>, embracing AI as an inevitability, and Blumhouse producer Jason Blum stating, \u201cThe consumer does not care if what they\u2019re looking at is AI,\u201d it\u2019s humbling to see that del Toro remains a real one in championing the humanness, flaws and all, in what makes cinema special.<\/p>\n

Frankenstein is currently in select theaters and will expand its listings over the coming weeks before premiering on Netflix on November 7.<\/p>\n

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel<\/a>, Star Wars<\/a>, and Star Trek<\/a> releases, what\u2019s next for the DC Universe on film and TV<\/a>, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who<\/a>.<\/p>\n