'Frankenstein' director's AI warning: It's here to 'debase' our humanity

Art created by artificial intelligence is an attempt to reduce a society's sense of humanity, according to one Hollywood director.

This sort of treatment of art is "always a prelude to fascism," the director also warned.

'That is always the prelude to fascism.'

No ifs, ands, or bots

While accepting an honor from Variety at its 10 Directors to Watch and Creative Impact Awards, filmmaker Guillermo del Toro continued his recent onslaught against the use of artificial intelligence for art.

"Be kind, be involved, and believe in your art," del Toro said, emphasizing that when art is minimalized, bad times are ahead.

"In a time where people tell you art is not important, that is always the prelude to fascism. Always. When they tell you it doesn't matter, when they tell you a f**king app can do art, you say, 'Well, if it's that easy and if it's that unimportant, why the f**k do they want it so bad?'"

The director answered his own question, warning that the reduction of art to a line of code removes a certain degree of humanity.

"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."

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Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

Monster high

Del Toro's tirade came on the heels of similar remarks last month at the 2025 Gotham Film Awards, where he made a point of announcing that his widely praised "Frankenstein" was "willfully made by humans for humans."

After praising the movie's "designers, builders, makeup, [and] wardrobe" teams, the director paused and added, "F**k AI."

The 61-year-old — one of the most prominent Hollywood power players to speak out against the dangers of AI — also hinted at why he prefers to work in the horror/fantasy genre: "Sometimes the world gets so complicated, you can only explain it with the power of monsters."

"We are in a time like that right now," he added.

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'Death' wish

Despite his anti-AI stance, del Toro is far from a techno-phobe.

In 2023, he praised Japanese video game auteur Hideo Kojima's "paradoxical creation" and his ability to "break the barrier between cinema and games."

Del Toro appears as the character Deadman in Kojima's 2019 game "Death Stranding," as well as its 2025 sequel.