'Backrooms' director Kane Parsons says AI 'defeats the purpose' of filmmaking

'Backrooms' director Kane Parsons calls generative AI's growing use in Hollywood sign of 'cultural and economic rot'

Backrooms director Kane Parsons has shared his views on the growing use of artificial intelligence in filmmaking, saying he has little interest in incorporating generative AI into his creative process.

Speaking in a recent interview with The Australian, the 20-year-old filmmaker said he remains opposed to the increasing presence of AI-generated content in the entertainment industry.

“If I could snap my fingers and make generative AI disappear forever, I probably would,” Parsons said. “Creatively, I get no enjoyment from using those tools. It defeats the purpose entirely for me.”

Parsons, who directed the Backrooms film, said his position reflects concerns shared by many people working within creative industries.

While he acknowledged that AI could eventually help streamline some visual effects work, he argued that the current conversation remains complicated because of the wider impact of the technology.

He said, “right now it’s difficult to discuss objectively because there’s so much at stake and so many genuinely harmful consequences already happening.”

Although Parsons does not want to use generative AI to create his work, he revealed that the subject itself could become a focus of future projects.

“What interests me more is interrogating it artistically,” Parsons said. “We already live in a world where you walk outside and there are billboards and signs that are obvious AI slop. That’s become part of our visual reality. To me, generative AI feels less like innovation than a symptom of a broader cultural and economic rot.”

He added, “I’m interested in using that iconography in art – not using AI to make the art itself, but examining what it represents. I definitely want to explore it further in future projects.”

Parsons' comments arrive as opinions on AI continue to vary across Hollywood. While some filmmakers have expressed concerns about its impact on creativity and employment, others have embraced emerging tools.

Among them is Martin Scorsese, who recently joined AI company Black Forest Labs as an adviser. Explaining his decision, Scorsese said, “Cinema is a young medium, only around 125 years old, so we have to be open to how it can evolve.”