'Backrooms' director Kane Parsons on generative AI use in cinema: It defeats the purpose

Kane Parsons, who has become the hottest new director in Hollywood at the age of 20 with his horror drama hit "Backrooms", says if it was possible, he would make generative AI disappear forever.

The young director, who graduated from YouTube creations to directing a full-fledged horror movie for A24 with "Backrooms", said while generative AI is part of the visual media reality today, it defeats the purpose if used creatively.

“If I could snap my fingers and make generative AI disappear forever, I probably would,” Parsons told The Australian in an interview.

“Creatively, I get no enjoyment from using those tools. It defeats the purpose entirely for me," he said, adding that creatively he was “in the same boat as most well-adjusted people.”

Parsons, as a Gen-Z filmmaker and one who made a career on the internet before moving to films, has made headlines with his criticism of AI.

He may not want to see the technology take over Hollywood, but it is becoming a reality for many as studios enthusiastically embrace it to cut costs across the board.

AI has divided filmmakers in Hollywood. Steven Spielberg, Guillermo del Toro and many actors have openly spoken out against its use, while filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, Peter Jackson and James Cameron warming up to it.

According to Parsons, AI could still be used to make VFX tasks less laborious, but added, that “right now it’s difficult to discuss objectively because there’s so much at stake and so many genuinely harmful consequences already happening.”

He, however, is not averse to doing a film which explores the themes surrounding AI.

“What interests me more is interrogating it artistically. We already live in a world where you walk outside and there are billboards and signs that are obvious AI slop. That’s become part of our visual reality. To me, generative AI feels less like innovation than a symptom of a broader cultural and economic rot.”

"I'm interested in using that iconography in art – not using AI to make the art itself, but examining what it represents. I definitely want to explore it further in future projects.”