Backrooms Director Kane Parsons Condemns Generative AI as Cultural and Economic Rot

Director of one of 2026's biggest surprise horror hits slams GenAI: "If I could snap my fingers and make generative AI disappear forever, I probably would"

Backrooms director Kane Parsons has slammed generative AI. The new horror film is one of the surprise breakout hits of the year, already standing at around $135 million at the worldwide box office. "I think I'm in the same boat as most well-adjusted people," Parsons told The Australian (via Deadline). "If I could snap my fingers and make generative AI disappear forever, I probably would. Creatively, I get no enjoyment from using those tools. It defeats the purpose entirely for me." Though Parsons acknowledges the potential for AI to help with some VFX tasks, he explained "right now it's difficult to discuss objectively because there's so much at stake and so many genuinely harmful consequences already happening." It sounds like AI has sparked ideas for what Parsons wants to do next, however. "What interests me more is interrogating it artistically," he shared. "We already live in a world where you walk outside and there are billboards and signs that are obvious AI slop. That's become part of our visual reality. To me, generative AI feels less like innovation than a symptom of a broader cultural and economic rot. "I'm interested in using that iconography in art - not using AI to make the art itself, but examining what it represents," he added. "I definitely want to explore it further in future projects." Backrooms is an A24 horror movie based on the internet creepypasta, and it stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, and Finn Bennett. "I didn't have any thoughts, really, about the viral nature of it," Ejiofor told GamesRadar+ recently. "I just thought that it was a fascinating world to explore, [with] fascinating characters." Backrooms is in theaters now. For more, check out our guide to the best horror movies to scare yourself silly.

The director of the season's movie believes that AI "destroys the purpose of making cinema"

Backrooms is the movie of the season. With a budget of 10 million, it has made 135 million at the box office so far, and with extraordinary critical reception and notable audience reception, the film is set to be one of the movies of the year. In addition to turning its very young director, Kane Parsons, who is only 20 years old, into one of the great revelations of cinema. He is also already making headlines for his completely contrarian opinions on AI in cinema. Generative AI no, thanks In a recent interview with The Australian, the director stated that regarding AI, he considers himself to be "in the same place as most people with their heads on their shoulders": he does not want Hollywood, or any other industry, to start using AI. Stating that "if I could snap my fingers and make generative AI disappear forever, I probably would," Parsons seems to have very clear ideas about it. In fact, it hasn't stopped there. Stating that "generative AI feels less like innovation and more like a symptom of a greater cultural and economic corruption," he has made his opinion on AI very clear. But he also wants to explore it in his work. He has said that "I am interested in using that iconography in art -- not using AI to create the art itself, but examining what it represents," hinting at where his upcoming projects may lead after the overwhelming success of his debut. This contrasts with the recent statements by Martin Scorsese, stating that we must be open to AI, because cinema is a young medium and we should not close ourselves off to its possible evolutions. Demonstrating that there is a clear difference in how this technology is perceived generationally. And not necessarily in the age relationship that we would normally expect.