James Cameron on generative AI was a key topic during his recent interview with CBS News Sunday, where he criticized the idea of using artificial intelligence to create characters for his new film, Avatar: Fire and Ash. Cameron, who has long championed innovative filmmaking, stated that relying on generative AI for creative work is unsettling for him.
Cameron’s Approach to Building Characters
Cameron and his team used advanced filmmaking techniques involving a large 250,000-gallon tank to replicate the ocean required for the movie, demonstrating their commitment to practical effects and hands-on digital artistry. The stars performed in water, while digital artists transformed these performances into characters seen on screen.
So, performance capture, we use a whole bunch of cameras to capture the body performance of the actor,
—James Cameron, Director
And we use a single camera (or now we use actually two) to video their face. They’re in a close-up 100% of the time. But there’s a beautiful thing about being in a close-up 100% of the time. It’s very much like theater rehearsal.
—James Cameron, Director
The movie continues Cameron’s dedication to highlighting real actor performances, enhanced rather than replaced by technology, which is a tradition that began with his earlier works.
A Filmmaking Journey from Practical Effects to CGI
Throughout his career, Cameron used physical techniques—like classical puppeteers in Alien and old-school effects in The Terminator—before venturing into CGI with The Abyss. Writing Titanic represented another leap, driven by curiosity about the actual shipwreck and the need for a compelling story set within it.
It was a little bit of a means to an end, you know?
—James Cameron, Director
I thought, ‘I can just go do this. All right, I need a story. Okay, ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ You know, young, doomed love on the Titanic.’ Boom! Like, instantaneous.
—James Cameron, Director
He revealed that the first ideas for Avatar predated Titanic, but the necessary digital tools were not yet available. In Cameron’s view, the evolution of effects has always been about amplifying the actor’s work, not erasing it.
For years, there was this sense that, ‘Oh, they’re doing something strange with computers and they’re replacing actors,’ when in fact, once you really drill down and you see what we’re doing, it’s a celebration of the actor-director moment.
—James Cameron, Director
Generative AI: Cameron’s Concerns About Its Role in Filmmaking
Cameron contrasted his craft with newer trends, particularly the deployment of generative AI to create entirely artificial performances and digital characters. The director expressed unease at the prospect of replacing authentic artistry with machine-generated content.
Now, go to the other end of the spectrum, and you’ve got generative AI, where they can make up a character,
—James Cameron, Director
They can make up an actor. They can make up a performance from scratch with a text prompt. It’s like, no. That’s horrifying to me. That’s the opposite. That’s exactly what we’re not doing.
—James Cameron, Director
The debate Cameron raises is critical for the film industry as technology rapidly evolves. As generative AI platforms grow more sophisticated and accessible, his intense reaction underlines a broader discussion about preserving authentic performances and the director-actor relationship in storytelling.
With the release of Avatar: Fire and Ash approaching, Cameron’s words highlight ongoing decisions about balancing innovation with traditional artistry, setting the stage for future debates around the roles of artists, actors, and artificial intelligence in filmmaking.
