Ben Affleck Calls AI Hype in Film Industry 'Nonsense'
Ben Affleck isn’t buying the panic over artificial intelligence in the film world, arguing it’s more likely to become a tool than a threat. His blunt take has sparked plenty of debate.
Ben Affleck has made it clear he’s not losing sleep over the supposed existential risk artificial intelligence poses to the film industry. In a recent chat on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, a clip of which has since gone viral, Affleck didn’t mince words, calling the doomsday talk around AI in Hollywood “bullshit”.
He reckons the technology isn’t nearly as advanced as some would have you believe.
“What I see is that if, for example, you try to get Chat GPT or Claude or Gemini to write you something, it’s really shitty,”
Affleck said, adding,
“And it’s shitty because, by its nature, it goes to the mean, to the average, and it’s not reliable.”
AI’s Creative Limits and Industry Fears
Affleck pushed back against the idea that AI could soon be churning out entire films or meaningful scripts. He pointed to the much-discussed case of Tilly Norwood, the first fully AI-generated actor signed to an agency, which caused a stir last year after being announced at the Zurich Film Festival. Affleck was blunt:
“I actually don’t think it’s going to be able to write anything meaningful, and in particular, that it’s going to be making movies from whole cloth, like Tilly Norwood – that’s bullshit.”
He argued that the technology simply isn’t progressing at the rate some in the industry claim. Instead, he sees AI as something that will end up being just another tool for filmmakers, not a force that will wipe out creative jobs. Affleck suggested that much of the fear-mongering is driven by companies looking to boost their own future valuations, rather than any real threat to the craft.
AI’s Real-World Impact and Industry Response
Affleck pointed out that the improvements in AI are slowing down, with the latest versions offering only marginal gains at a much higher cost.
“Chat GPT 5 is only about 25 per cent better than Chat GPT 4, and costs about four times as much in the way of electricity and data.”
He reckons most people are using these tools for pretty mundane tasks, not for creating blockbuster films.
Despite the noise, Affleck is confident that the heart of filmmaking will always be human.
“Hollywood is always going to fundamentally rely on the human, artistic aspects,”
he said, dismissing the idea that AI could ever take over the core creative work.
Other Voices in the Debate
Affleck’s take stands in contrast to some of his peers. For example, Matthew McConaughey recently trademarked his famous catchphrase “Alright, alright, alright” to protect it from AI deepfakes, even though he’s invested in a company that clones voices for its ‘Iconic Voice Marketplace’. The debate over AI’s place in the industry is far from settled, but Affleck’s no-nonsense approach has certainly added fuel to the fire.