Del Toro’s recent remarks echo his longstanding skepticism toward technology, as the director of “The Shape of Water” has frequently expressed his reservations about embracing such advancements.
LOS ANGELES — Celebrated filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, known for his Oscar-winning work, declared he’d “rather die” than incorporate generative AI into his projects during the promotion of his Netflix rendition of “Frankenstein.”
“I’m not interested in AI, especially generative AI, and I have no plans to change that,” del Toro shared in an NPR interview on Thursday. “At 61, I aim to maintain my disinterest right up until my last breath. Someone recently emailed me asking my opinion on AI, and my response was straightforward: ‘I’d rather die.'”
Though del Toro’s adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel does explore themes related to artificial intelligence, particularly through the character of Victor Frankenstein, portrayed by Oscar Isaac.
“My concern isn’t so much with artificial intelligence as it is with human foolishness, which I believe is responsible for many of the world’s problems,” del Toro explained to NPR. “I wanted Victor’s hubris to mirror that of certain tech entrepreneurs.”
In the film, Frankenstein’s creation of his monster, played by Jacob Elordi of “Euphoria,” occurs without foresight or consideration for the future, a parallel del Toro draws with the current trajectory of AI development.
“Ones and zeros don’t get the alchemy that you get with emotion and experience,” he said. “You get the information, but you don’t get the alchemy of emotion, spirituality and feeling.”
Del Toro’s recent comment’s aren’t new, as the “Shape of Water” director previously stated his disinterest in the technology multiple times in the past.
In 2023, he called AI an “insult to life itself,” and in 2024 he asked “the value of art is not how much it costs and how little effort it requires, it’s how much would you risk to be in its presence?” while at the British Film Institute.
Del Toro’s latest movie, a $120 million epic for Netflix, launched in theaters nationwide Oct. 17, 2025 for a 3-week theatrical release and will release globally Nov. 7 on Netflix. It also features Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Ineson and others.
