George Miller Says AI Is Here to Stay—But Is That Good News?
After weaving AI into his films, George Miller is now on the judging panel of a festival dedicated to the tech, signaling a future where AI reshapes cinema—whether that’s a breakthrough or a warning.
George Miller isn't easing off the gas on AI. After using it in 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' to stitch together Anya Taylor-Joy and Alyla Browne's faces so the character's age progression feels seamless, he's now championing the tech in a much bigger, more public way. Depending on where you sit, that's either exciting or a little stomach-turning.
What Miller's actually saying
In a new chat with The Guardian, Miller lays out his stance pretty plainly: AI is part of filmmaking now, and it's not going away. He frames it as a tool, not a takeover, and compares today's anxiety to earlier moments when new tech changed how art gets made.
"AI is arguably the most dynamically evolving tool in making moving image. As a film-maker, I've always been driven by the tools. AI is here to stay and change things... It's the balance between human creativity and machine capability, that's what the debate and the anxiety is about. It strikes me how this debate echoes earlier moments in art history."
That Renaissance comparison is Miller's way of saying the craft evolves with the tools. You might not love the new toolbox, but it's here.
He's putting his name on an AI film festival
To underline the point, Miller is serving as head of the judging panel this November at the Omin International AI Film Festival, an Australia-based festival dedicated entirely to AI in cinema. He sees festivals like this as a way to open the gates to people who have stories to tell but not the money or connections to tell them the old-fashioned way.
"It will make screen storytelling available to anyone who has a calling to it. I know kids not yet in their teens using AI. They don't have to raise money. They're making films - or at least putting footage together. It's way more egalitarian."
How he's already using it
If you didn't clock it in 'Furiosa,' Miller used AI to blend Anya Taylor-Joy and Alyla Browne's faces, smoothing the character's transition across ages. As far as invisible tricks go, it was clean work. Still, some folks will argue they'd rather see old-school solutions like makeup and practical tweaks than leaning on algorithms to do the heavy lifting.
Why this makes people twitchy
No one's disputing that AI is here. The speed is what freaks people out. Used well, it's a helpful tool. Used lazily, it's a shortcut that flattens the art. There's a world of difference between craftsmanship and typing "Make actor look younger" into a prompt and calling it a day.
So where do you land on this? Do Miller's points about access and evolution make sense, or does this feel like the industry cruising toward a cliff? I'm somewhere in the middle: if it serves the story and stays transparent, fine. When it starts replacing hard-earned craft just to save time or money, that's where the red flags pop up.