Nicolas Cage Warns Against AI in Film Industry: "Robots Cannot Reflect the Human Condition"

Nicolas Cage Warns Of Dire Scenario Presented By AI: 'That Is A Dead End'

Nicolas Cage is urging Hollywood not to let artificial intelligence destroy the "truth of art." The "Dream Scenario" star received a Saturn Award on Sunday for his performance in the satirical drama and delivered an impassioned acceptance speech after thanking writer-director Kristoffer Borgli for creating the "disturbing but hilarious" world of the 2023 film. "But there is another world that is also disturbing me," Cage said at the podium, per Variety. "It's happening right now around all of us: the new AI world. I am a big believer in not letting robots dream for us. Robots cannot reflect the human condition for us." "That is a dead end if an actor lets one AI robot manipulate his or her performance even a little bit, an inch will eventually become a mile and all integrity, purity and truth of art will be replaced by financial interests only," he continued. "We can't let that happen." Those words arrived shortly after Paul McCartney and Elton John criticized a U.K. copyright law that would allow companies to use their music to train AI models, or in John's words to the Sunday Times, to "ride roughshod" over laws that "protect artists' livelihoods." The speech also followed substantial backlash against director Brady Corbet, who recently admitted using AI to refine Adrien Brody's Hungarian dialogue in "The Brutalist." The film was recently nominated for 10 Oscars, including a best actor nod for Brody. Cage previously confessed he's "terrified" that artificial intelligence could "steal" his likeness after he dies, and argued Sunday that the consequences of standardizing its use to alter performance or replace artists would be devastating for human culture entirely. "The job of all art in my view, film performance included, is to hold a mirror to the external and internal stories of the human condition through the very human thoughtful and emotional process of recreation," said Cage, per Variety. "A robot can't do that." "If we let robots do that, it will lack all heart and ... turn to mush," he added. "There will be no human response to life as we know it. It will be life as robots tell us to know it. I say, protect yourselves from AI interfering with your authentic and honest expressions."

Nicolas Cage Cautions Against Actors Using AI: 'Robots Cannot Reflect the Human Condition'

For Nicolas Cage, using artificial intelligence to manipulate even one second of a performance is just as dangerous as using it to create an entire work from scratch. While accepting an award for his film Dream Scenario at the Saturn Awards, the actor cautioned against compromising creativity by "letting robots dream for us," noting that he finds the use of AI to be "disturbing." "Robots cannot reflect the human condition for us," Cage said. "That is a dead end if an actor lets one AI robot manipulate his or her performance even a little bit, an inch will eventually become a mile and all integrity, purity, and truth of art will be replaced by financial interests only. We cannot let that happen." The speech comes just weeks after Paul McCartney and Elton John issued their own warnings against a potential copyright law that would allow AI to train on artists' work. During his speech, Cage recognized the threat of AI as a broader problem that exists across mediums. "The job of all art in my view, film performance included, is to hold a mirror to the external and internal stories of the human condition through the very human thoughtful and emotional process of recreation," he continued. "A robot cannot do that. If we let robots do that, it will lack all heart and eventually lose edge and turn to mush. There will be no human response to life as we know it. It will be life as robots tell us to know it." The caution against using AI also follows backlash to Brady Corbet's Academy Award-nominated film The Brutalist. The film's editor Dávid Jancsó recently admitted to using AI in the film to render a "series of architectural drawings and finished buildings" in addition to enhancing Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones' Hungarian dialogue to sound more authentic. The editor maintained that "there's nothing in the film using AI that hasn't been done before," per Variety. In 2022, Cage starred in the film The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, which used AI to create a template of the actor's face in order to make him look younger on screen. "We should be having a very open discussion about what tools AI can provide us with," Jancsó said. "We use AI to create these tiny little details that we didn't have the money or the time to shoot."

Nicolas Cage speaks out against AI in acting: "There will be no human response to life as we know it"

Nicolas Cage has spoken out against the use of AI in acting. The actor made the comments during his acceptance speech for best actor in a film for his role in Dream Scenario at the Saturn Awards (via Variety). "It's happening right now around all of us: the new AI world. I am a big believer in not letting robots dream for us," he said. "Robots cannot reflect the human condition for us. That is a dead end if an actor lets one AI robot manipulate his or her performance even a little bit, an inch will eventually become a mile and all integrity, purity and truth of art will be replaced by financial interests only. We can't let that happen. "The job of all art in my view, film performance included, is to hold a mirror to the external and internal stories of the human condition through the very human thoughtful and emotional process of recreation," he continued. "A robot can't do that. If we let robots do that, it will lack all heart and eventually lose edge and turn to mush. There will be no human response to life as we know it. It will be life as robots tell us to know it. "I say, protect yourselves from AI interfering with your authentic and honest expressions." The role of AI in the film industry has been a contentious subject, with AI protections a major talking point in the SAG-AFTRA strikes of 2023. Dream Scenario is streaming on Max now. You can fill out your watchlist with our guide to the best movies on Max.

'Robots cannot reflect the human condition': Nicolas Cage speaks out against AI

Star issues warning about use of artificial intelligence in films while collecting best actor prize for Dream Scenario at the Saturn awards Nicolas Cage has reiterated his warning against the use of artificial intelligence in the film industry, saying "we can't let that happen". In remarks reported by Variety, Cage used an acceptance speech on 2 February at the Saturn awards (given to science fiction, fantasy and horror films) to denounce what he called "the new AI world". "I am a big believer in not letting robots dream for us. Robots cannot reflect the human condition for us. That is a dead end if an actor lets one AI robot manipulate his or her performance even a little bit, an inch will eventually become a mile and all integrity, purity and truth of art will be replaced by financial interests only. We can't let that happen." Cage added: "The job of all art in my view, film performance included, is to hold a mirror to the external and internal stories of the human condition through the very human thoughtful and emotional process of recreation. A robot can't do that. If we let robots do that, it will lack all heart and eventually lose edge and turn to mush. There will be no human response to life as we know it. It will be life as robots tell us to know it. I say, protect yourselves from AI interfering with your authentic and honest expressions." The actor has previously spoken out against AI, notably in an interview with the New Yorker in July 2024, during which he said he was "terrified" of AI. Reflecting on the fact that his body had been digitally scanned for his role in the Spider-Noir TV series, Cage said: "It makes me wonder, you know, where will the truth of the artists end up? Is it going to be replaced? Is it going to be transmogrified? Where's the heartbeat going to be? I mean, what are you going to do with my body and my face when I'm dead?" At the Saturn awards, Cage was collecting the prize for best actor in a film for his role in Dream Scenario, and took the opportunity to pay tribute to the late David Lynch, who had cast him opposite Laura Dern in the 1990 film Wild at Heart. Cage said: "When I was doing Wild at Heart, I was a very serious, young actor and I said, 'David, is it OK if I have fun on this movie?' He said, 'Buddy not only is it OK, it's necessary.'"

Nicolas Cage once again warns against AI in Dream Scenario acceptance speech

While there is a very common fear amongst people in all walks of life about the direction that technology and artificial intelligence is taking, the one area that it seems to be most openly vocal in is without a doubt the entertainment sector. As AI becomes increasingly available, there is worry that it will taking jobs meant for creative humans, and one person who has been speaking up on this at every instance he gets is Nicolas Cage. This latest stand against AI comes at the Saturn Awards, which were hosted at Universal City on February 2, with Cage in attendance to accept an award for his performance in Dream Scenario. Upon taking the stage to receive the commendation, Cage once again raised his suspicions on AI usage in entertainment. As per Variety, Cage stated: "There is another world that is also disturbing me. It's happening right now around all of us: the new AI world. I am a big believer in not letting robots dream for us. Robots cannot reflect the human condition for us. That is a dead end if an actor lets one AI robot manipulate his or her performance even a little bit, an inch will eventually become a mile and all integrity, purity and truth of art will be replaced by financial interests only. We can't let that happen." Cage continued: "The job of all art in my view, film performance included, is to hold a mirror to the external and internal stories of the human condition through the very human thoughtful and emotional process of recreation. A robot can't do that. If we let robots do that, it will lack all heart and eventually lose edge and turn to mush. There will be no human response to life as we know it. It will be life as robots tell us to know it. "I say, protect yourselves from AI interfering with your authentic and honest expressions." This isn't the first time that Cage has voiced his concerns with AI, as the actor spoke about the technology at the Newport Beach Film Festival back in October, sharing similar thoughts.

Nicolas Cage Calls AI Performances a 'Dead End', as 'Robots Cannot Reflect the Human Condition' - IGN

Nicolas Cage has slammed artificial intelligence by saying any actor who lets it alter their performance is approaching "a dead end" as "robots cannot reflect the human condition." " I have to thank Kristoffer Borgli for his direction, his writing, his editing and for creating this incredibly disturbing but hilarious world that he dreamt up," Cage began. "But there is another world that is also disturbing me. "It's happening right now around all of us: the new AI world. I am a big believer in not letting robots dream for us. Robots cannot reflect the human condition for us. That is a dead end if an actor lets one AI robot manipulate his or her performance even a little bit, an inch will eventually become a mile and all integrity, purity and truth of art will be replaced by financial interests only. We can't let that happen. "The job of all art in my view, film performance included, is to hold a mirror to the external and internal stories of the human condition through the very human thoughtful and emotional process of recreation. A robot can't do that. If we let robots do that, it will lack all heart and eventually lose edge and turn to mush. There will be no human response to life as we know it. It will be life as robots tell us to know it. I say, protect yourselves from AI interfering with your authentic and honest expressions." Cage isn't the first actor to share such sentiments against AI, though its use has perhaps been more prevalent in the voice acting space so far, where entire performances have been recreated even in high profile video games. Several voice actors have rallied against it, including Grand Theft Auto 5's Ned Luke who called out a chatbot which used his voice. The Witcher voice actor Doug Cockle also told IGN that AI was "inevitable" but "dangerous", sharing in Luke's assessment that chatbots and similar uses are "effectively robbing [voice actors] of income." Filmmakers have voiced their opinions too, of course, though not always in unison. Legendary director Tim Burton called AI generated art "very disturbing," while Justice League and Rebel Moon director Zack Snyder has said filmmakers need to embrace AI instead of "standing on the sidelines with your hands on your hips." Photo by Gregg DeGuire/Variety via Getty Images.