Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has made his thoughts on generative AI well-known after comparing how the technology could end up getting out of hand, with the director comparing it to his recent version Victor Frankstein in his latest iteration of “Frankenstein” as an allegory for folks in the film/TV industry wanting to exploit and reap rewards without thinking about the inherent negative consequences of those actions in that hasty rush. He’s now gone even further than that with some recent comments on the use of generative AI.
During an acceptance speech for the director honor at Variety‘s 10 Directors to Watch & Creative Impact Awards at Palm Springs International Film Festival over the weekend, the “Frankenstein” director expanded on his viral “F*** AI!” warcry from last year by going on to call the anti-art movement to push for AI replacement as “fascism.”
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“Be kind, be involved, and believe in your art, in a time when they tell you art is not important. That is always the prelude to fascism. Always, when they tell you that art doesn’t matter,’ when they tell you a f***ing app can do art, you know, you say, ‘Well, if it’s that easy and thought unimportant, why the fuck do they want it so bad?’ And the answer is because they think they can debase everything that makes us a little better, a little more human. And that, in my book and in my life, includes monsters, del Toro said in a fiery counter to the rush of using AI while speaking to up-and-coming filmmakers at the Palm Springs event.
It wasn’t the only award recently won, as Jacob Elordi recently earned a Best Supporting Actor award for his breakout performance as Frankenstein’s monster at the Critics’ Choice Awards. Other awards “Frankenstein won at the awards show included Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, and Best Hair & Makeup, potentially a sign of the film’s chances of walking away with wins at the Academy Awards.
We shouldn’t expect del Toro to slow down anytime soon, as he is now prepping “Fury,” which will see him reuniting with his “Frankenstein” star Oscar Isaac, and has been developing another stop-motion animated fantasy film at Netflix based on the Kazuo Ishiguro novel “The Buried Giant.”
You can watch Guillermo del Toro’s speech made at Variety’s event below.
Guillermo del Toro says, "When they tell you that art doesn't matter… or that a f*cking app can do art that leads to fascism."
— Variety (@Variety) January 4, 2026
Variety's 10 Directors to Watch & Creative Impact Awards. #PSIFF pic.twitter.com/1LAYTwLYYv
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