Demi Moore urges film world to embrace AI, warns fighting it is a losing battle at Cannes

Demi Moore calls fighting AI a losing battle ahead of Cannes opening

CANNES, France, May 12 (Reuters) - Demi Moore urged the film industry to find ways to work with and protect itself from artificial intelligence, instead of fighting a losing battle against it, ahead of the Cannes Film Festival's opening ceremony on Tuesday. "AI is here. And so to fight it is to, in a sense, to fight something that is a battle that we will lose. So to find ways in which we can work with it is a more valuable ⁠path to take," said Moore. The U.S. actor, who received her first Oscar nomination for body horror "The Substance" after its Cannes premiere in 2024, is returning to the festival this year as one of nine members of the jury who will hand out the Palme d'Or top prize on May 23. "Are we doing enough to protect ourselves? I don't know," added Moore, speaking to journalists. "And so my inclination would be to say probably not." The festival does not allow generative AI in competition, but the conversation about the technology's role in filmmaking has been a dominant theme at the festival that positions itself ⁠as a gatekeeper of what qualifies as cinema. FIRST KOREAN JURY PRESIDENT Park Chan-wook, the first Korean filmmaker to lead the jury, reflected on how Korea has become a cinema industry powerhouse since he brought his thriller "Oldboy" to Cannes in 2004. "Korea is no longer at the outskirts of the global cinematic industry," he said, speaking through a ⁠translator. "The reason behind it isn't only because Korean film did very well and made it to the centre of the industry. It's because the centre of the global film industry itself has expanded," he said. That made it ⁠possible for him to be named jury president, said Park, adding that he promised not to be biased towards the Korean entry, Na Hong‑jin's "Hope." Comparing the 22 competition films and ranking them in first, ⁠second and third place might feel like a "meaningless" act, he said. "But that's also where the value of that lies, because it's an opportunity to tell everyone and to beg everyone to please watch these films." Reporting by Francesca Halliwell, Writing by Miranda Murray, Editing by Alexandra Hudson Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

Film world must not resist rise of artificial intelligence, says Demi Moore

US actor says working with the technology is better than fighting a losing battle against it Demi Moore has urged her peers not to resist the rise of artificial intelligence, saying "to fight it is a battle we will lose". The actor, who is a member of the Cannes film festival jury, was asked during a press conference on Tuesday how AI was affecting the industry and whether she believed more regulation was needed. "I always feel that against-ness breeds against-ness," she said. "AI is here. And so to fight it is to fight something that is a battle that we will lose. So to find ways in which we can work with it I think is a more valuable path to take." She added: "Are we doing enough to protect ourselves? I don't know the answer to that. And so my inclination would be to say probably not." Moore, who was last at Cannes with the body horror film The Substance, said there were "beautiful aspects to being able to utilise" AI but it could never replace the human experience or touch. "The truth is there really isn't anything to fear because what it can never replace is what true art comes from, which is not the physical, it comes from the soul," she said. "It comes from the spirit of each and every one of us sitting here, to each and every one of us who creates every day. And that they can never recreate through something that is technical." Elsewhere in the conference, Moore and the other members of the jury - chaired by South Korean film-maker Park Chan-wook - were asked about the connection between cinema and politics. "I don't think politics and art should be divided," said Park. "It's a strange concept to think they're in conflict with each other. Just because a work of art has a political statement, it should not be considered an enemy of art. "At the same time, just because a film is not making a political statement, that film should not be ignored. Even if we are to make a brilliant political statement, if it is not expressed artfully enough it would just be propaganda." Asked if speaking freely about politics could damage the promotion of a film, Moore replied: "I would hope not. Part of art is about expression, so if we start censoring ourselves then we shut down the core of our creativity, which is where we can discover truth and answers." Paul Laverty, a UK screenwriter known for his collaborations with the director Ken Loach, called out Hollywood for "blacklisting" actors who had spoken out in support of the people of Gaza, citing Susan Sarandon, Javier Bardem and Mark Ruffalo.