‘That’s horrifying to me’: James Cameron slams Hollywood’s new AI star, revealing the one massive difference between her and his ‘Avatar’ cast

The legendary director of the Avatar franchise, James Cameron, just weighed in on the generative AI actor controversy, slamming the technology and calling its use “horrifying,” as per CBS News. Cameron’s strong comments come after a major industry stir in September regarding a digital creation named Tilly Norwood.

Talent studio Xicoia caused waves when they claimed Tilly would be the next big star, comparing her to incredibly successful human actors like Scarlett Johannson and Natalie Portman. That’s an ambitious claim, and honestly, it seems like a massive ethical red flag.

Not surprisingly, many real actors immediately pushed back on this idea. Scream star Melissa Barrera quickly labeled the entire development “gross.” Actress Mara Wilson, known for her role in Mathilda, also raised a crucial ethical point. She asked about the “hundreds of living young women whose faces were composited together to make her.”

If you’re building a star out of the digital remains of real people, you’re stepping into some deeply uncomfortable territory

Cameron is no stranger to using massive computer-generated effects in his blockbusters, but he’s quick to point out that his process is radically different from what AI talent studios like Xicoia are attempting. He stated that creating actors from scratch with AI is exactly what he’s “not doing” on the Avatar movies.

He understands why there was early skepticism about his methods. For years, he explains, there was this lingering sense that he was somehow “replacing actors” with strange computer methods or complex digital trickery. But Cameron argues that when you truly drill down and look at his process, “it’s a celebration of the actor-director moment.”

The process he uses is called performance capture, and it’s incredibly focused on the human element. For the body performance, they use a whole bunch of cameras to capture the actor’s movements. Even more intensely, they use one or two cameras to video the actor’s face, meaning the performer is in a close-up 100% of the time.

Cameron describes this highly detailed, focused process as being “very much like theater rehearsal.” It sounds like an extremely immersive environment for the actor, which is why the performances in the Avatar films feel so real and nuanced.

This focus on capturing the human performer’s actual soul and effort is the key distinction. Cameron believes the generative AI model, which sees use now in the New York Times’ office, is the exact opposite of what he’s doing.

He contrasted his work with the new technology, which we’ve seen topping music charts, surpassing human artists. Cameron explained, “Go to the other end of the spectrum, and you’ve got generative AI, where they can make up a character. They can make up an actor. They can make up a performance from scratch with a text prompt.”

That’s the truly chilling part: making something out of nothing but an instruction. He concludes, “It’s like, no. That’s horrifying to me. That’s the opposite. That’s exactly what we’re not doing.”