George Lucas defends AI and castigates Hollywood

The creator of “Star Wars” criticizes the studios’ test screenings, which now let fans make the films.

Since selling Lucasfilm to Disney for $4 billion in 2012, George Lucas has been rare in the media. But in an interview given to A Rabbit’s Footthe creator of Star Wars did not mince his words on the way Hollywood makes its blockbusters today.

According to him, studios place too much emphasis on test screenings and focus groups. “I don’t like these focus groups” Lucas gets annoyed before explaining:

“The public doesn’t know what they want to see. If he doesn’t like a character, that’s interesting, and as a director, I want to understand why. But the studios draw the wrong conclusion. They let the audience make the film. Now they are obsessed with what the fans think. That’s not how you make a film. You make a film by finding someone who knows how to tell a story and who is passionate about what they do.”

For George Lucas, cinema must above all arouse emotion and not be reduced to a compilation of best moments:

“We go to the cinema because the stories touch us emotionally. Art is an emotional medium.”

Along the way, the filmmaker also shared his point of view on artificial intelligence, which he views with much more optimism than many of his colleagues. Like Peter Jackson, he believes that this technology represents a natural evolution of cinema:

“AI will make filmmaking much easier. It’s like someone saying that horses and carriages are preferable to cars because the latter break down, need gas, and will eventually become war tanks. There’s nothing we can do about it. This is progress, this is the future.”

While he recognizes that AI carries risks, George Lucas also believes that it can help limit them:

“If you want an AI that can tell if something is fake and identify its origin, AI can do it. Humans can’t do it, we’re not smart enough. Ultimately, you remain responsible for what you say and what you do. If you do something illegal, you must be held accountable. It’s exactly like in real life.”