Older Directors Embrace AI in Filmmaking, Younger Generation Rejects It

A recent opinion piece by Boston Globe film critic Odie Henderson highlights a generational divide in the film industry regarding the use of generative AI. While established directors like George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, and Steven Soderbergh have embraced AI for various aspects of filmmaking, younger filmmakers such as Kane Parsons (20) and Celine Song (millennial) have spoken out against it. Lucas compared resistance to AI to preferring a horse and buggy over a car, calling it 'progress' and 'the future.' Scorsese partnered with an AI company for storyboards, and Cameron also partnered with an AI company, which Henderson finds ironic given Cameron's 'Terminator' warnings. Soderbergh revealed using AI on his upcoming John Lennon and Yoko Ono documentary and a film about the Spanish-American War. In contrast, Parsons, director of 'Backrooms,' said he would make generative AI disappear if he could, and Song argued that AI strips away humanity. Christopher Nolan called AI 'a Trojan horse,' and Spike Lee said he would never use it for acting or writing, calling it 'fake.' Guillermo del Toro has been vocally opposed, saying he will never be interested in using generative AI. The piece also mentions that Eli Roth's film 'Ice Cream Man' used AI for animated sequences, which Henderson criticized. The article was published on August 8, 2026, in the Boston Globe.