Director Gore Verbinski used his appearance at the Taormina Film Festival this week to call for a formal system rating the level of artificial intelligence used in films, warning the industry that transparency around new technology is becoming critical.
Verbinski is at the festival competing with his latest film, "Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die," a genre-bending science fiction story starring Sam Rockwell as a time-traveling figure recruiting allies to fight the threat of AI. Preparing that film led Verbinski to take a close look at the tools himself.
According to Variety, Verbinski issued a direct warning about the current state of disclosure in the industry. "You're supposed to check this box to say no AI is used in your movie, and it's going to become very complicated soon," he said.
He argued that the line between acceptable and unacceptable AI use is not a new one. "You'd have to go back 20 years," he said. "Technically speaking, artificial intelligence was being used for grading films, sharpening tools… These tools have existed for 20 years. You almost need a rating system. If you use AI to write a script, you get an F. What people are most afraid of is that there is no transparency. People are afraid of what is real and what isn't."
Verbinski stopped short of calling for a complete ban. He said that if an independent filmmaker could not afford to complete a scene that formed a central emotional part of their film, using AI for that purpose would be acceptable, as long as the use was disclosed. "I think you have to be absolutely transparent [about] what it was used for. I would never try to use it to be in front of the story," he said.
Beyond questions of creative integrity, Verbinski expressed concern about what AI is doing to the people who have traditionally filled junior roles in the industry. "The loss of apprenticeship is a major concern," he said. "You're seeing in law firms, everywhere, it's happening. It's going to start happening in filmmaking."
He expanded on the long-term consequences for directors just starting out. "I do think the path for young filmmakers is going to be forever changed," he said. He pointed out that the industry once drew directors who built their craft through music videos and commercials, but those entry pathways are now less clear. "The more you do it, the more you learn. I think you're going to see more content creation people who are making things for YouTube or shorts, and you're going to see a lot of AI-created narratives. As the industry reaches for those storytellers, that will be very interesting: are they grabbing at somebody who was cheating?"
Verbinski also spoke about his years directing the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, saying his relationship with star Johnny Depp is "really precious" to him. "We're kindred spirits," he said.
