AI is here to stay and change things': Mad Max director George Miller on why he is taking part in an AI film festival

"Last week's unveiling of Hollywood's first AI actress, Tilly Norwood, generated howls of protest from actors' unions across the UK and US, where the industry is still reeling from last year's 118-day strike over, among other issues, the threat of AI. And earlier this week, Australia's Productivity Commission was pilloried by Liberals and Greens alike for failing to recognise the dire impact AI may have on the country's creative industries."

"In May, during heated discussions at the Cannes film festival, the industry was warned it was on a slippery slope, with AI threatening jobs, copyright protections and the integrity of the creative process. But the film industry is far from united against AI; not everyone believes its rapid advance is eroding the very essence of human storytelling. The wave is coming and it's impossible to stop it, one producer told a Cannes roundtable. Our only option is to surf on it."

"Miller is about to lead the judging panel at the Omni 1.0 AI film festival, Australia's first fully fledged award festival for wholly AI-generated films. He joined the jury out of intense curiosity about the evolving role of AI in storytelling and his interest goes beyond the technology. AI, he believes, is part of a deeper philosophical shift in our understanding of creative authorship. It's the balance between human creativity and machine capability, that's what the debate and the anxiety is about, he says."

Tilly Norwood's unveiling as Hollywood's first AI actress provoked howls of protest from actors' unions across the UK and US, amid lingering fallout from a 118-day strike that included AI concerns. Australia's Productivity Commission faced bipartisan criticism for downplaying AI's impact on creative industries. Cannes discussions warned that AI threatens jobs, copyright and the integrity of storytelling, while some producers urge adaptation rather than resistance. George Miller will chair the Omni 1.0 AI film festival jury for wholly AI-generated films. Miller describes AI as a rapidly evolving filmmaking tool and frames its rise as a philosophical shift about authorship, balancing human creativity and machine capability.

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