Top movie directors are rejecting AI. Here's what they're worried about.

• Some of Hollywood's most celebrated filmmakers are drawing a line on AI.
• They believe great art is rooted in the human experience, something that AI can't replicate.
• From Guillermo del Toro to Christopher Nolan, here's what some of cinema's most acclaimed directors have to say about AI.

As AI races ahead, Hollywood's top directors are trying to protect the craft behind great films.

Generative AI can now produce everything from scripts to visual effects, but some of cinema's most celebrated filmmakers argue it can't replicate the lived experience, creative judgment, and years of craftsmanship that make great art.

It's part of a wider reckoning over AI in Hollywood, where celebrities such as Taylor Swift and Matthew McConaughey have also sought to protect their likeness from AI-generated impersonations.

Here's what some of cinema's biggest creative voices have to say about AI.

Guillermo del Toro said AI could prevent future filmmakers from mastering their craft.

At the 2026 San Diego Comic Con, which ran from Thursday through Sunday, the Mexican director said the 3D rerelease of "Pan's Labyrinth" was created through a manual conversion process.

"Obviously, I said, 'Absolutely no goddamn AI,'" del Toro said.

He said he didn't mind the added cost of the manual approach, which involved about 1,000 artists rotoscoping the film.

"What we're protecting is the beauty and the redeeming power of art. It's not about who gets the job. We are protecting a lineage of art. If we cut a generation of people from learning their craft, you're cutting the rest of the history of that medium away from them, for what?" del Toro said.

Rather than opting for the fastest approach, del Toro said he prioritized quality.

"You have to put in time. You roto every element by hand. A human-made decision of depth," he said.

Christopher Nolan said people should be just as skeptical of AI's creators as they are of the technology itself.

In a July 14 conversation with YouTuber HugoDécrypte, Nolan called AI "a Trojan horse that everybody knows the Greeks are inside."

"I've never seen a technology advancing so rapidly, so completely rejected by the public," Nolan said.

He added that he has been struck by the level of public skepticism toward AI, particularly among the younger generation, who have popularized the term "AI slop."

Nolan said he welcomed that skepticism, arguing that while technology can bring "great gifts," it should always be approached with caution.

"The motives of the people giving it to us also have to be viewed with skepticism. That's when we'll get the best out of a new technology, rather than just blind faith that everything's going to be great," Nolan said.

Nolan is known for favoring real stunt work, practical effects, and in-camera techniques over extensive CGI. His latest film, "The Odyssey," follows that tradition and has grossed over $639 million worldwide since its July 17 release, per Box Office Mojo.

Steven Spielberg said he draws the line at using AI to replace human creativity.

"I have never used AI on any of my films yet," the filmmaker said at the 2026 SXSW conference, which was held in Austin in March.

"Even television, we have a writer's room. All the seats are occupied. There's not an empty chair with a laptop in front of it," Spielberg said. "I haven't used AI that way."

The filmmaker added that he isn't completely against the technology, saying he is "for AI in many different disciplines."

"I am not for AI that replaces a creative individual," Spielberg said.

Tim Burton said seeing AI-generated artwork in his signature style left him deeply unsettled.

In 2023, Burton shared his thoughts on BuzzFeed using AI to create Disney characters in his distinctive style.

"I can't describe the feeling it gives you. It reminded me of when other cultures say, 'Don't take my picture because it is taking away your soul," Burton told The Independent.

Even though Burton said some of the AI-generated pieces were "very good," he found it unsettling to see a machine recreate his visual style.

"It's like a robot taking your humanity, your soul," he said.

Bong Joon Ho, the Oscar-winning director of "Parasite," has a tongue-in-cheek solution for AI: wipe it out.

"My official answer is, AI is good because it's the very beginning of the human race finally seriously thinking about what only humans can do. But my personal answer is, I'm going to organize a military squad, and their mission is to destroy AI," Bong said at the 2025 Marrakech Film Festival, per Deadline.

Celine Song said artists have a responsibility to defend what makes us human.

Speaking at the 2025 Marrakech Film Festival, per Deadline, the "Past Lives" director said she is "very concerned" about the way AI is "trying to encroach" on the experiences that make life both beautiful and worthwhile.

"The number one thing that we're here to defend as artists is humanity," Song said. "We're here not to think about what makes human life easy, what makes it convenient, but what it's like to actually live."