Danny Boyle’s Use Of AI In New Film Ink ‘Disappoints’ Fans

Oscar-winning filmmaker Danny Boyle has sparked a lot of conversation on social media after admitting that his new film Ink makes use of generative AI.

During a recent interview with Variety, the 28 Years Later director was asked for how he feels about the increasing use of artificial intelligence in the film industry, to which he responded: “It doesn’t really matter what I think about AI. It matters what 20-year-olds think about it, [that’s] the honest truth.

“My opinion of it is that it’s a very useful tool, in many ways, provided you use it respectfully, and provided you pay actors, if you’re going to replace them with some kind of AI embodiments or something like that – just like with any animation project or just as part of the VFX toolbox.”

He then shared that there’s “about 30 seconds” of AI-generated content in his new film, Ink, which he and his team used to “animate a couple of photographs”.

“Oh! And there are some [AI-generated] mice,” he added. “[AI is] very good for animals.

“I got in trouble with [the animal rights organisation] PETA – we had some chimps at the beginning of 28 Days Later, and they wrote to me and said, ‘you must never do that again’. And I haven’t.

“And ever since, I’ve tried to use, you know, [CGI] animals. But AI is very, very good at creating animals, and we’ve got some mice in this one that run around The Sun newsroom.”

Over the last few years, AI has become an increasingly polarising issue in the entertainment industry, as it has in many other fields, with the subject being a major factor in the Hollywood strikes of 2023.

As a result, as you might imagine, Danny’s comments have generated a lot of debate on social media.

In particular, many have pointed out that just days earlier, Danny had been vocal against the threat posed to AI within the journalism world, in which his new movie is set.

“The danger is that the tech giants and their AI will be able to replace journalism,” he told reporters at the Venice Film Festival last week. “They’ll be able to have an AI journalist who’s much more efficient, cheaper.

“Will that AI journalist speak truth to that power that’s created it? That’s going to be very tough and interesting.”

He continued: “Teachers are another one of those tentpoles that hold up our society, and teachers can be replaced as well by AI. It’s insane what we’re doing.

“Where’s the village that we all need? And within that village, there are truth tellers who aren’t popular sometimes because what they say is unpopular. I hope Ink throws up questions like that about the future, what we’re ploughing into.”