Filmmaker Paul Feig has voiced strong concerns about the growing influence of artificial intelligence in the entertainment industry, arguing that AI cannot replace the originality and emotional depth of human storytelling.
Speaking at the 2026 Nantucket Film Festival, where he received the Visionary Storyteller Tribute, Feig said storytelling remains one of humanity’s most valuable contributions and warned against relying on AI-generated content.
The 63-year-old director, known for films including Bridesmaids, Ghostbusters, and the upcoming The Housemaid, reflected on the importance of writers, journalists, playwrights, and other creators in shaping culture and connecting people through shared experiences.
“I’ve always loved the term storyteller,” Feig said during his acceptance speech. “Telling stories is one of humankind’s greatest gifts to the universe.”
Feig described storytelling as a force that helps break down barriers between people by encouraging empathy and understanding. He said stories allow audiences to see the world through different perspectives and bring communities closer together.
The filmmaker then turned his attention to artificial intelligence, calling it a troubling development for creative industries.
“Today, a lot of us in the storytelling business are being confronted by a rather terrifying technological development: AI,” Feig said. He added that the technology was not something creators had demanded and suggested that many companies were investing heavily in AI to reduce costs and increase profits.
Despite his concerns, Feig expressed confidence that human creativity would remain irreplaceable. According to him, AI can only draw from existing material and cannot generate truly original experiences.
“AI is not us. It’s not who we are — it’s who we were,” he said. “It mixes and matches what has already been done and turns it into something that looks original.”
Feig argued that people continually evolve through new experiences, ideas and emotions, while AI is limited to information that already exists.
“Until the day we die, we keep changing, we keep evolving, we keep having new experiences and new thoughts and new ideas,” he said. “AI lives in our past. We live in our present, and we will live in our future.”
The comments come as debates over the role of artificial intelligence in film, television and media continue to intensify, with many creators raising concerns about its potential impact on jobs, intellectual property and artistic expression.
