‘In two years, nobody will care’ if actors are AI or not, predicts La Haine director

2026-04-22 · Source: AI (artificial intelligence) | The Guardian · Field: Media & Entertainment — Content Creation & Production, Entertainment Technology & Innovation, Creative Industries & Arts · Depth: Fundamental Awareness, short

Summary

Mathieu Kassovitz, director of "La Haine" and currently developing an AI-enabled film, predicts that AI actors with millions of followers will emerge within a few years, fundamentally changing cinema. Speaking at the second World AI film festival in Cannes, Kassovitz dismissed copyright concerns, stating, "Fuck copyright," and compared his planned AI film studio in Paris to George Lucas's Industrial Light and Magic. He noted that AI could reduce visual effects costs for his film adaptation, "The Beast is Dead," from $50-60 million to $25 million. This perspective contrasts with the main Cannes film festival's recent AI ban and ongoing legal battles, with nearly 140 copyright cases pending against AI companies, primarily in the US and Germany, as highlighted by German copyright lawyer Tim Kraft.

Key takeaway

For film producers and studio executives evaluating future production strategies, AI presents a compelling opportunity to significantly reduce visual effects costs, potentially enabling more ambitious projects within tighter budgets. You should investigate integrating generative AI tools into pre-production and post-production workflows, while also preparing for the legal and ethical complexities surrounding AI-generated content and intellectual property.

Key insights

AI is poised to transform cinema production and talent, despite significant copyright and ethical debates.

Principles

• AI can drastically cut film production costs.
• Artistic creation often involves borrowing from predecessors.

Method

Kassovitz is establishing an AI film studio in Paris, aiming to leverage generative AI tools for visual effects to achieve significant cost reductions compared to traditional methods.

In practice

• Explore AI for visual effects cost reduction.
• Consider AI-generated characters for future productions.

Topics

• AI in Cinema
• Generative AI
• Film Production
• Copyright Law
• AI Actors

Best for: AI Product Manager, Investor, Creative Technologist, Entrepreneur, Legal Professional

Related on AIssential

• Runway CEO says AI could help Hollywood make 50 films instead of one $100M blockbuster — AI can transform film production into a quantity-driven model, increasing output and reducing costs.
• First trailer released for western starring AI version of Val Kilmer — Authorized AI digital twins and deepfakes are enabling deceased or retired actors to star in new productions.
• AI and the Future of Artistic Labor — AI's impact on artistic labor extends beyond job replacement to include creative hollowing, training pipeline collapse, and digital performer replacement.
• ByteDance backpedals after Seedance 2.0 turned Hollywood icons into AI “clip art” — AI video generation models face significant copyright and ethical challenges when using existing intellectual property.
• A fully AI generated film just screened at Cannes Market and cost $500,000 to make — AI-generated feature films are now technically feasible and dramatically reduce production costs and timelines.
• Hollywood is COOKED — AI-driven content generation will fundamentally reshape the entertainment industry, shifting power to creators and personalized experiences.

Open in AIssential →

Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by AI (artificial intelligence) | The Guardian.