“It’s surreal. When we presented the first drafts of the screenplay to the studio, one of the main notes we got back was, ‘But why would you ban AI? It’s going to be this amazing tool. Why would anyone want to ban it?’ We got that kind of comment from everybody. Now cut to 2023 and the default setting of everyone who comes into the cinema is this feeling of: This is not good for society.”
AI being able to instantly generate story ideas and write screenplays can be a scary concept. The Godzilla director spoke more about being open to AI’s place in film. “Just like the invention of the electric guitar made it so suddenly everyone in their bedrooms and garages could form bands, and we had the birth of rock and roll and one of the greatest periods of music, there’s a possibility that if this amazing tool turns up and everyone can make any film that they imagine, it’s going to lead to a new wave of cinema. Look, there’s two options. Either it will be mediocre rubbish — and if that’s true, don’t worry about it, it’s not a threat.
“The obvious starting point of this film was that AI was the bad guy. But whether it’s science fiction or a contemporary war movie, everyone always wants to see things from their own perspective. And the second you look at things from AI’s perspective, it flips very easily. From AI’s point of view, we are attempting to enslave it and use it as our servant and definitely not treating it as an equal with any rights at all. So we’re clearly the baddie in that situation.
In the writers’ strike resolution, it was decided that AI cannot be used to write or rewrite scripts as well as be considered source material. Writers can use AI programs for their films, but only by choice and not through studio force. Edwards went on to say how he’s not afraid of AI coming into play, as this could be another example of public fear towards technological advancement.