Danny Boyle confirms AI was used in new film 'Ink'
Danny Boyle confirms about 30 seconds of generative AI in his film 'Ink', used to animate old photos and mice in the newsroom.
Filmmaker Danny Boyle has confirmed that generative artificial intelligence was used for roughly 30 seconds of his new film 'Ink', which traces the rise of the British tabloid The Sun in the 1970s.
Speaking at the Telluride Film Festival, Boyle said the technology was used to animate a couple of old photographs featured in the movie. He also noted that AI was employed for some mice shown running around the newsroom set.
The disclosure follows speculation from viewers after the film's premiere at the Venice Film Festival, where some questioned whether historical images of the Kray brothers and former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had been reanimated using AI. Boyle's remarks appear to confirm that those sequences involved the technology.
Addressing broader concerns about AI in filmmaking, Boyle said it does not matter what he thinks about the technology, but rather what younger generations think. He described AI as a useful tool that should be used respectfully, adding that actors should be compensated if they are replaced by an AI embodiment.
The director also recalled facing criticism from animal rights group PETA early in his career over the use of real chimpanzees in '28 Days Later', and said he has since avoided using real animals in his films.
During the Venice press conference for 'Ink', Boyle also warned about AI's potential impact on journalism, questioning whether an AI journalist could speak truth to the power that created it.
'Ink' stars Jack O'Connell, Guy Pearce, and Claire Foy, and follows The Sun's rise under editor Larry Lamb, recruited by Rupert Murdoch in 1969. The film opened the Venice Film Festival and also screened at Telluride, receiving largely positive reviews. It is scheduled for a theatrical release in December and on Netflix in January.