Demi Moore says Hollywood has to ‘find ways’ to work with AI, not fight it

Demi Moore is weighing into the debate over Hollywood should respond to the growing influence of AI, saying performers need to embrace the technology.

“I always feel that against-ness breeds against-ness,” Moore said during a press conference on Tuesday at the Cannes Film Festival. “AI is here. And so to fight it is to fight something that is a battle that we will lose. So, to find ways in which we can work with it. I think it is a more valuable path to take.”

She added, “Are we doing enough to protect ourselves? I don’t know the answer to that. And so my inclination would be to say probably not.”

Moore is at Cannes as a member of the French film festival’s jury, alongside “No Other Choice” director Park Chan-wook, “Hamnet” director Chloé Zhao and fellow actor Stellan Skarsgård. The last time Moore attended the fest was for the Oscar-winning body horror “The Substance,” where she stars as an aging actress desperate to reclaim her youth.

The fear of AI replacing jobs is real across many industries, from food delivery workers to entry-level tech positions. And in Hollywood, it’s unclear how heavily AI will impact productions. The introduction of the world’s first AI actor, Tilly Norwood, last year sent shock waves through the industry.

Since the digital character’s debut, Tilly has only appeared in a music video from its creator’s production studio, Particle 6. The bot has yet to appear in any Hollywood project, but the creators have said its synthetic universe will continue to expand.

Most recently, SAG-AFTRA said it secured stronger AI guardrails in its new tentative contract, including new guidelines that govern how studios should use generative AI and that strongly favor “human performances.”

But Moore also said there “isn’t anything to fear” about the rise of AI, because it can never replace the source of “true art.”

“It comes from the soul,” Moore said. “It comes from the spirit of each and every one of us sitting here, to each and every one of us who creates every day. And that they can never recreate through something that is technical.”

Moore isn’t the only Hollywood veteran who believes film and AI can work together. In 2022, actor Ben Affleck launched his AI film tech company, InterPositive, after becoming fixated on AI in film production. He sold the startup to Netflix in March. The company is focused on developing AI-powered tools built by filmmakers and using new technology to expand creative decisions.