Christopher Nolan Praises Gen Z Filmmakers For “Utterly Rejecting” AI Slop: “It’s Hitting At Exactly The Wrong Time”

As Christopher Nolan prepares to take viewers on an Imax odyssey, he’s hopeful for the future of filmmaking without the use of AI. The 2x Oscar winner admitted that not all applications of artificial intelligence are “useless of meaningless,” he explained that generative AI is “hitting at exactly the wrong time” for Hollywood. “I’ve never seen a more rapid wholesale dismissal of a supposedly foundational jump in technology in my lifetime,” Nolan told The Telegraph. “So much energy has been expended on bringing in AI, but if you look at that generation’s reaction, they’re utterly rejecting it.” Citing his own kids as an example, Nolan added, “Their judgment of AI slop has been immediate and harsh. They see it for what it is very quickly – and it’s much easier for them to identify it, because it grew out of an online world they know really well. And while that doesn’t mean that every aspect of the technology is useless or meaningless, in film-making it’s hitting at exactly the wrong time. After years of driving towards heavily virtual environments, we’re seeing a renewed interest in more tactile, more real forms of storytelling.” Watch on Deadline Nolan praised young filmmakers like Obsession director Curry Barker and Backrooms‘ Kane Parsons for their use of practical effects when possible, noting “young people can’t get enough of” their work. “I think cinema is vital and essential and continues to transform itself – we’ve got all these great new young voices in movies, making the medium their own and moving it forward,” added Nolan. The use of AI in Hollywood continues to be a hot-button topic in recent years. SAG-AFTRA has endorsed the Trump administration’s AI policy framework, which calls for Congress to enact legislation that includes parental controls, intellectual property rights protection, First Amendment protections, expanding AI workforce development, allowing data centers to generate their own power and removing legal barriers that limit AI innovation. Last month, Trump signed an executive order for voluntary framework in which AI companies would provide the government with access to new models for a 30-day review period before their release. Not every filmmaker gets $250m to make their practical film, with a guranteed yes on any reshoots or additional. If a mega tight budget needs an establishing shot of a bridge over a river, …AI can do it in 30 seconds. Helps the movie itself. Not stealing jobs, the movie would simply open without the bridge. No harm in that. AI can’t put the story straight n your head. AI can’t tell you if the smoke it blows up your ass is any good,