Wildwood’s director says AI is ‘antithetical to everything that we are at this studio’
The Verge • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Laika's new film Wildwood is the studio's most ambitious stop-motion project to date, featuring over 230 puppets and involving more than 1,000 artists over five years, showcasing advanced technical innovations like breathing diaphragms and enhanced puppet musculature.
- Laika CEO and Wildwood director Travis Knight strongly opposes generative AI in filmmaking, arguing that AI lacks the humanity, soul, and personal experience essential for telling meaningful human stories.
- Knight distinguishes between technology that assists artists and AI that replaces artistic labor, condemning the latter as a form of theft that regurgitates existing creative work without genuine emotion or creativity.
- While AI is increasingly present in Hollywood—from digital actor replicas to studios training AI on existing content—Laika's handmade approach highlights a commitment to traditional artistry amid this trend.
- Knight acknowledges AI's potential benefits in fields like medicine and science but warns of its societal risks, emphasizing the need for responsible stewardship and expressing cautious optimism about humanity's ability to manage the technology wisely.
