Nicolas Cage has reiterated his warning against the use of artificial intelligence in the film industry, saying “we can’t let that happen”.
In remarks reported by Variety, Cage used an acceptance speech on 2 February at the Saturn awards (given to science fiction, fantasy and horror films) to denounce what he called “the new AI world”.
“I am a big believer in not letting robots dream for us. Robots cannot reflect the human condition for us. That is a dead end if an actor lets one AI robot manipulate his or her performance even a little bit, an inch will eventually become a mile and all integrity, purity and truth of art will be replaced by financial interests only. We can’t let that happen.”
Cage added: “The job of all art in my view, film performance included, is to hold a mirror to the external and internal stories of the human condition through the very human thoughtful and emotional process of recreation. A robot can’t do that. If we let robots do that, it will lack all heart and eventually lose edge and turn to mush. There will be no human response to life as we know it. It will be life as robots tell us to know it. I say, protect yourselves from AI interfering with your authentic and honest expressions.”
The actor has previously spoken out against AI, notably in an interview with the New Yorker in July 2024, during which he said he was “terrified” of AI. Reflecting on the fact that his body had been digitally scanned for his role in the Spider-Noir TV series, Cage said: “It makes me wonder, you know, where will the truth of the artists end up? Is it going to be replaced? Is it going to be transmogrified? Where’s the heartbeat going to be? I mean, what are you going to do with my body and my face when I’m dead?”
At the Saturn awards, Cage was collecting the prize for best actor in a film for his role in Dream Scenario, and took the opportunity to pay tribute to the late David Lynch, who had cast him opposite Laura Dern in the 1990 film Wild at Heart. Cage said: “When I was doing Wild at Heart, I was a very serious, young actor and I said, ‘David, is it OK if I have fun on this movie?’ He said, ‘Buddy not only is it OK, it’s necessary.’”
