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Ridley Scott says he's trying to "embrace" A.I., despite, you know, Blade Runner

In a recent interview promoting Gladiator II, Ridley Scott declared "I want to do animation" using A.I., and got some pushback about it taking jobs

News by Grant DeArmitt, Staff Writer

Published on Fri Nov 08 2024

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Truly great science fiction can be a lot of things, but perhaps the most important of those is, "a warning." One of those most popular warnings deals with artificial intelligence, with plenty of films and TV shows asking what would (will) happen when human capacity for knowledge is granted to machines. Perhaps one of the best-known examples of that is the film Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott, which is why some fans were disappointed to learn that Scott himself seems to be ignoring warnings regarding a very real threat that modern A.I. poses to creatives.

The discussion comes from a recent interview Scott did with the New York Times to promote his upcoming film Gladiator II. At one point in the conversation, the budget of the historical epic sequel came up, and though Scott did not confirm that the movie cost a rumored $300 million to make, he did use the opportunity to touch on the idea of being "budget-conscious." One way he apparently feels that can happen is by "trying to embrace A.I." When asked exactly how, Scott said, "I want to do animation."

"Would that put people out of work?" asked the interviewer, pointing to conversations he'd had with animation industry people who are worried about just that happening.

"I think you might create jobs," responded Scott, "but it means relearning. Somebody once said that in your lifetime, you may have to retrain twice, three times, and it’s rough for the average person. For me, I have to just evolve. I like to think I’m a tennis player and I’ve got to keep bouncing the ball."

When the interviewer pressed Scott about how A.I. "might create jobs," the director seemingly backed away from or at least reworked his assertion. "I don’t think it’s going to create jobs except for very high-end specialists," he said. "You can have done in a week what would take 10 guys 10 weeks."

Now let's be honest - the A.I. trouble that's depicted in Blade Runner is not a match for the threat we face right now (or at least, yet). But as the New York Times interviewer mentions in this piece, there are very real reasons to be concerned about corporate usage of A.I. in creating fiction, especially animation. To speak personally, as a Ridley Scott fan, it's disheartening to see one of my scifi heroes dismiss a kind of warning that's so integral to the genre.

After all, those "10 guys" might have 10 families, and those "10 weeks" of work could put a lot of food on 10 tables.

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Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. As Popverse's Staff Writer, he criss-crosses the pop culture landscape bringing you the news and opinions about the big things (and the next big things). In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.