Home'Odyssey' director Christopher Nolan labels AI an 'obvious Trojan horse'
Christopher Nolan, the Oscar-winning director whose new take on "The Odyssey" is currently dominating theaters, noted that it's been "pretty encouraging" to witness widespread skepticism toward AI, especially among younger generations.
Nolan was answering a question from interviewer Hugo Travers, who runs the YouTube channel HugoDécrypte. Travers referenced the legendary Trojan horse, a central element in Nolan's film—just as that horse was a gift hiding deadly Greek soldiers, he asked whether AI might be something "you welcome into your daily life" only to later see it turn into "something else and something darker."
With a laugh, Nolan replied, "I think AI is a Trojan horse that everyone knows has Greeks inside." He went on to describe the technology as "a transparent horse, it's made of glass."
"I've never seen a technology advance so rapidly while being so thoroughly rejected by the public," he said. "People's suspicion of it is incredibly strong, especially among young people. The way AI videos are labeled online—people my children's age immediately call it 'AI slop' and coined that term, just putting it in a box."
In Nolan's view, this represents "a very healthy skepticism, because technology always gives us great gifts, as you said, but it must be viewed with skepticism." Similarly, he added, "The motives of the people giving it to us also need to be viewed with skepticism. That's how we get the best out of a new technology, rather than just blindly believing everything will be fine." (Meanwhile, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has been angrily posting about the film's nonwhite and transgender cast members.)
Nolan didn't elaborate on what he sees as the specific threat from AI, but the technology has become a growing concern in Hollywood and was a major issue during the 2023 writers' and actors' strikes. The Directors Guild of America, where Nolan serves as president, also secured some generative AI protections in its most recent contract.
The director has long been resistant to other technologies, including smartphones. His dedication to film can make him appear both a Luddite and a pioneer—with "The Odyssey" becoming the first feature film shot entirely on IMAX film and cameras.
When The New York Times recently asked Nolan if he considers himself a technophobe, he replied, "I think of myself as a techno-skeptic," and explained that his love of film stems from the fact that it's "better at representing how the human eye sees the world than any digital imaging system I've seen."
"I embrace new technology all the time, but it tends to be sold to people at the expense of systems that might still be valid and viable," Nolan said. "That's what I saw in my industry—throwing the baby out with the bath water. We almost lost film!"
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Christopher Nolan, the Oscar-winning director whose new take on "The Odyssey" is currently dominating theaters, noted that it's been "pretty encouraging" to witness widespread skepticism toward AI, especially among younger generations.
Nolan was answering a question from interviewer Hugo Travers, who runs the YouTube channel HugoDécrypte. Travers referenced the legendary Trojan horse, a central element in Nolan's film—just as that horse was a gift hiding deadly Greek soldiers, he asked whether AI might be something "you welcome into your daily life" only to later see it turn into "something else and something darker."
With a laugh, Nolan replied, "I think AI is a Trojan horse that everyone knows has Greeks inside." He went on to describe the technology as "a transparent horse, it's made of glass."
"I've never seen a technology advance so rapidly while being so thoroughly rejected by the public," he said. "People's suspicion of it is incredibly strong, especially among young people. The way AI videos are labeled online—people my children's age immediately call it 'AI slop' and coined that term, just putting it in a box."
In Nolan's view, this represents "a very healthy skepticism, because technology always gives us great gifts, as you said, but it must be viewed with skepticism." Similarly, he added, "The motives of the people giving it to us also need to be viewed with skepticism. That's how we get the best out of a new technology, rather than just blindly believing everything will be fine." (Meanwhile, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has been angrily posting about the film's nonwhite and transgender cast members.)
Nolan didn't elaborate on what he sees as the specific threat from AI, but the technology has become a growing concern in Hollywood and was a major issue during the 2023 writers' and actors' strikes. The Directors Guild of America, where Nolan serves as president, also secured some generative AI protections in its most recent contract.
The director has long been resistant to other technologies, including smartphones. His dedication to film can make him appear both a Luddite and a pioneer—with "The Odyssey" becoming the first feature film shot entirely on IMAX film and cameras.
When The New York Times recently asked Nolan if he considers himself a technophobe, he replied, "I think of myself as a techno-skeptic," and explained that his love of film stems from the fact that it's "better at representing how the human eye sees the world than any digital imaging system I've seen."
"I embrace new technology all the time, but it tends to be sold to people at the expense of systems that might still be valid and viable," Nolan said. "That's what I saw in my industry—throwing the baby out with the bath water. We almost lost film!"
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