Director Richard Linklater: AI Cannot Create True Cinema
Acclaimed director Richard Linklater has delivered a powerful verdict on artificial intelligence in filmmaking: “AI is not going to make a film.” The indie auteur behind “Boyhood” and “School of Rock” argues that genuine storytelling requires human intuition and consciousness that technology cannot replicate.
Key Takeaways
- Linklater firmly states AI cannot create meaningful cinema
- Two new films explore human genius through French New Wave and Broadway legends
- Director rejects AI de-aging, prefers authentic aging of actors over decades
- Claims storytelling requires human elements algorithms cannot capture
Two Films Celebrating Human Genius
Linklater’s latest projects—”Nouvelle Vague” on Netflix and theatrical release “Blue Moon”—explore the lives of brilliant but volatile artists who shaped cinematic and theatrical history.
“Nouvelle Vague” chronicles how young Jean-Luc Godard defied all conventions to create his 1960 classic “Breathless,” convincing backers and star Jean Seberg to support a film with neither script nor proper schedule.
“He’s a little full of shit, but he’s a genius. A revolution is going on, but he’s the only one who knows it,” Linklater says of the French New Wave icon.
Meanwhile, “Blue Moon” depicts Broadway lyricist Lorenz Hart at career’s end, as partner Richard Rodgers moves on to greater success with Oscar Hammerstein II and “Oklahoma!” Hart would die from alcoholism months later.
“It’s become very clear that the times are leaving him behind. They’re leaving behind his genius,” Linklater observes.
Why AI Falls Short in Storytelling
Linklater acknowledges AI as “just one more tool” but emphasizes it “doesn’t have intuition or consciousness.” He predicts the technology will be “less revolutionary than everybody thinks in the next few years.”
While noting that technological advances like portable cameras enabled the French New Wave’s documentary-style realism, he rejects claims that AI could spark similar revolution.
“You’re gonna see some cool stuff,” he concedes, but maintains that “the hardest thing to do is still to tell a compelling story that people want to see and be engaged with.”
“That’s a lot of points you have to hit—that’s acting, that’s story structure, that’s pace, style. No algorithm is gonna do that. No prompt is gonna do that.”
The Human Approach: 20-Year Film Project
Linklater is putting his philosophy into practice with “Merrily We Roll Again,” adapted from Stephen Sondheim’s musical about three artists’ friendship dissolving over two decades, told in reverse chronology.
In a bold move echoing his 12-year “Boyhood” project, he plans to shoot “Merrily” over 20 years, allowing actors to genuinely age backward on screen rather than using AI de-aging technology seen in films like Tom Hanks’ “Here.”
“It’s not a visual trick, you know? I really want an actor of a certain age to be playing a character,” he explains. Asking young actors to portray older characters is “not authentic” because they “don’t know what that even means.”
With “Merrily” not expected in theaters anytime soon, Linklater chuckles: “That’s my hanging-on-to-humanity approach!”
