Hugh Grant’s New Film Sounds Alarm on AI: ‘It Might Kill Us All’

Hollywood’s battle with artificial intelligence just got more intense. Hugh Grant’s latest film, Heretic, has sparked a major controversy. In the final credits, the filmmakers made a bold statement: “No generative AI was used in the making of this film.”

Directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods didn’t hold back. “It was important for us to make that clear,” said Woods. “Generative AI is something people need to start talking about.” While Heretic isn’t heavy on special effects, it’s the perfect backdrop for a critical conversation about the dangers of AI in the creative world.

Heretic focuses on Grant’s character, a mysterious man who traps two young Mormon missionaries, played by Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East, in his home for a twisted test of faith. But it’s not just the plot that has everyone talking. It’s the message behind it: AI is creeping into every corner of our lives, and the filmmakers want no part of it.

Woods is vocal about his disdain for generative AI. He called it “an algorithm jumbling a bunch of s— together and spitting it out as art.” He added that AI’s ability to scrape history and art from the internet to create new works is nothing short of theft. “It’s borderline theft,” he said. “Why is that legal? Someone can just take human history, repackage it, and profit from it?”

And this isn’t just about the film industry. “We’re on the edge of every job being replaced overnight,” Woods warns. “It’s going to happen fast.” He believes AI’s impact on the arts will be devastating, as the industry is driven by greed, not creativity.

“We created this technology. Now let’s bury it underground with nuclear warheads,” Woods quipped, “because it might kill us all.”

It’s a sentiment shared by many in Hollywood. Earlier this year, Robert Downey Jr. made headlines for declaring he would sue anyone who used AI to recreate his likeness without consent. It’s clear that the threat of AI replacing human actors and artists is becoming real.

A24, the studio behind Heretic, allowed the filmmakers to include their anti-AI message in the credits. Beck praised the studio for being “artist-friendly,” but he warned that the race for corporate profits is pushing AI forward without considering the consequences. “We’re heading toward an ethical battle in creativity,” Beck said. “If we don’t have these conversations now, we’ll wake up in five years to a situation we can’t undo.”

And it’s not just Heretic that’s raising alarms. Generative AI was used in several films this year, stirring up controversy. Late Night with the Devil used AI-generated graphics, which faced backlash from fans who threatened to boycott the film. Similarly, A24’s Civil War received criticism for using AI-generated promotional images that misrepresented the movie’s content.

If the film industry doesn’t get a handle on AI now, it might be too late. The technology is already here—and it’s moving faster than we can keep up with. As Beck and Woods suggest, the time to act is now. Otherwise, we may find ourselves in a very dangerous place.