As the film adaptation of the viral creepypasta "The Backrooms" hits theaters, director Kane Parsons—known to fans as Kane Pixels, who propelled the concept to global fame—has shared his candid thoughts on the impact of generative AI on filmmaking. In a rare and direct statement, he expressed his disdain for the technology, even saying he wishes such tools would "disappear forever."
"The Backrooms" originated in 2019 as an anonymous creepypasta on 4chan, describing a seemingly endless maze of yellowed corridors and empty rooms. Parsons later adapted this concept into a found-footage style YouTube series, which sparked massive discussion in 2022 and evolved "The Backrooms" from a simple internet meme into a narrative-driven horror universe.
In an interview with The Australian, Parsons was asked about the relationship between generative AI and filmmaking. He didn't mince words, stating, "I think I'm on the same side as most sane people."
"If I could snap my fingers and make generative AI disappear forever, I probably would," he said. "From a creative standpoint, I derive no joy from using those tools. To me, it goes against the entire point of creating something."
Parsons acknowledged that AI technology might offer assistance in some tedious visual effects workflows. However, he believes it's currently difficult to discuss the technology objectively from a purely efficiency-based perspective due to the many conflicts of interest involved, noting that "a lot of really harmful consequences are already happening."
Despite his stance, Parsons isn't entirely opposed to addressing the topic of AI in his work. He clarified that he is more interested in examining artificial intelligence from an artistic viewpoint rather than using AI to generate content directly.
"What’s more interesting to me is to question it artistically. We already live in a world where you can go outside and see billboards and signs that are clearly AI-generated garbage. That’s already part of our visual reality," he said.
"To me, generative AI is less of an innovation and more of a symptom of a broader cultural and economic rot," Parsons added. "I’m interested in using that iconography in art, not using AI to make art, but examining what it represents, and I definitely want to explore that more in my work in the future."
via： The Australian