Bong Joon-ho's SHOCK AI Warning: Is Creativity DOOMED?!

Marrakech, Morocco – You might think a celebrated filmmaker like Bong Joon-ho, the mind behind "Parasite" and "Snowpiercer," would be completely enamored with the shiny new tools that artificial intelligence offers. Think again. At the Marrakech International Film Festival, the director expressed some pretty strong opinions about AI, mixing humor with a healthy dose of concern. He even joked about forming an anti-AI army! But beneath the quips, there’s a serious point about what it means to be human in an increasingly automated world.

Bong Joon-ho's SHOCK AI Warning: Is Creativity DOO...

Bong is serving as jury president for the festival's 22nd edition, and the topic of AI inevitably came up during a press conference on Saturday. He acknowledged the undeniable presence of AI in film production these days, a reality that clearly gives him pause.

“My official answer is, AI is good because it’s the very beginning of the human race finally seriously thinking about what only humans can do,” Bong said with a characteristic twinkle in his eye. "But my personal answer is, I’m going to organize a military squad, and their mission is to destroy AI." It was a joke, of course, but the underlying sentiment was clear: AI is a powerful tool, but it shouldn’t replace human creativity and ingenuity. It’s a sentiment I think many of us in the creative field share.

He's not just blowing smoke either. Bong has been consistently vocal about AI's impact on filmmakers and the entire creative process. Just last September, speaking at a conference in Seoul, he described the technology as a "great shock" to the film industry. It's a sentiment that resonates, and the shockwaves are only getting stronger.

Interestingly, Bong isn't a complete Luddite. He even admitted to using AI in his upcoming film, "Mickey 17," starring Robert Pattinson. "There is a scene in the film 'Mickey 17' where two Mickeys, meaning two Robert Pattinsons, appear on a single screen. Ironically, we received the help of [AI]." He continued, "The reality is that we use [AI]." So, it’s not about rejecting the technology outright, but rather understanding its limitations and ensuring it serves as a tool, not a replacement for human artistry.

Perhaps the key takeaway here is that AI, for all its advancements, can't replicate the human experience – the emotions, the perspectives, the very soul that makes art meaningful. Bong's comments serve as a crucial reminder to safeguard and celebrate those uniquely human qualities, especially as technology continues to evolve and reshape our world.