Ben Affleck Dismisses AI Threat to Filmmaking: ‘It’s Not Gonna Replace Human Beings Making Films’
(SUSSMAN/GETTY IMAGES)
Ben Affleck is confident that artificial intelligence (AI) won’t destroy the film industry, asserting that human creativity remains irreplaceable. Speaking at CNBC’s Delivering Alpha investors summit, the actor and filmmaker shared his insights on the potential role of AI in movies and its limitations.
“Movies will be one of the last things, if everything gets replaced, to be replaced by AI,” Affleck stated. He dismissed the idea of AI creating films independently, saying, “Not possible now. Will it be possible in the future? Highly unlikely.”
Affleck compared AI’s capabilities to mimicry rather than originality. “AI can write you an excellent imitative verse that sounds Elizabethan. It cannot write you Shakespeare,” he explained. He emphasized the irreplaceable human touch in filmmaking, adding, “The function of having two actors, or three or four actors, in a room and the taste to discern and construct that is something that currently entirely eludes AI’s capability and I think will for a meaningful period of time.”
Despite his skepticism about AI replacing filmmakers, Affleck acknowledged its potential as a tool for enhancing the craft. “AI is a craftsman at best,” he said. “Craftsmen can learn to make Stickley Furniture by sitting down next to somebody and seeing what their technique is and imitating. They’re just cross-pollinating things that exist. Nothing new is created. Not yet.”
Affleck also highlighted the distinction between craftsmanship and artistry, noting that “art is knowing when to stop.” He argued that AI struggles with this nuance. “Knowing when to stop is going to be a very difficult thing for AI to learn because it’s [about] taste, lack of consistency, lack of controls, lack of quality,” he added.
In conclusion, Affleck emphasized that AI’s role in filmmaking will likely remain supportive rather than transformative. “It’s not gonna replace human beings making films,” he said. Instead, he envisioned AI improving certain aspects of production: “It may make your background more convincing, it can change the color of your shirt, it can fix mistakes you’ve made. It can make it so you might be able to get two seasons of House of the Dragon in a year instead of one.”
Affleck’s perspective underscores the enduring value of human creativity in an industry increasingly influenced by technology, suggesting that AI will serve as a complement, not a replacement, in filmmaking.
