James Cameron has drawn a hard line against AI-generated performers, calling the technology a threat to the core of filmmaking. Speaking to CBS' "Sunday Morning", the director said the idea that artificial intelligence could replace actors is "horrifying", and counters everything his own effects-heavy films stand for.
The speculation isn't new. Cameron recalled that during the development of the first "Avatar" in 2005, "there was this sense that, 'Oh, they're doing something strange with computers and they're replacing actors,'" even though his approach relied intensely on real performances. "Once you really drill down and you see what we're doing, it's a celebration of the actor-director moment," he said.
But what was once a misunderstanding has now become a real industry debate. Cameron warned that generative AI — capable of producing lifelike faces, voices, and movements from text — crosses a line that undermines the craft. "They can make up a character. They can make up an actor. They can make up a performance from scratch with a text prompt," he said. "It's like, no. That's horrifying to me. That's the opposite. That's exactly what we're not doing."
AI-made actor Tilly Norwood ignites industry backlash over rights, costs and the future of real performers.
His comments follow the industry's intense reaction to Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated actor unveiled in September by comedian and producer Eline Van der Velden at the Zurich Summit. Marketed as a fully deployable digital performer, Norwood reportedly drew interest from talent agencies even before the backlash hit. Traditional actors, directors, and unions slammed the idea as a threat to labour, authenticity and creative ownership.
Van der Velden, however, remains convinced AI will become routine in filmmaking. In an interview with Variety, she argued that "it will be a slow progression," beginning with small tasks: "There'll be some establishing shots, there'll be some second-unit shots with AI, and then slowly, we'll progress to a full AI film." Whether audiences will embrace it, she suggested, will depend on storytelling, not the tools. "I don't think they'll know the difference," she said.
The dispute reflects a deeper anxiety running through Hollywood. For filmmakers like Cameron — who built entire worlds through performance-capture and actor-driven technology — the danger isn't digital innovation but the erasure of the human core. His stance puts him squarely against efforts to normalise AI-generated performers, especially those designed to function as replacements rather than collaborators.
