Saudi filmmaker Ali Al-Kalthami has warned that using artificial intelligence to replace human talent in cinema would damage the industry, and has called for legislation to protect creative jobs. The director and writer made the comments in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, which Arab News published on October 12.
Al-Kalthami argued that technology changes how content is produced but not what makes it work. The idea, the story and the bond with the audience stay at the centre, he said, and better cameras, lighting or microphones do not on their own make a piece creative. “There is no formula for creativity in content,” he said. In his view, good ideas come out of years of brainstorming, research and writing. He described writing as a slow and searching process in which he still runs into dead ends, and said he refuses to rush either the script or the shoot to meet a deadline.
He does not reject the technology itself. He described AI as “a tool, not a goal”, and compared today’s fears to the anxiety that once greeted the internet, radio and the mobile phone. People who learn to use AI to serve the human spirit will endure, he said, and fearing it outright is not the answer. He uses it in his own early development work to test ideas, explore visual approaches and identify technical problems before filming starts, which he sees as a practical use that leaves the creative decisions with people.
His objection is to AI-generated feature films made for commercial release where the aim is to replace people and cut costs. Al-Kalthami said legislation on the issue has already begun in Europe and America, and he expects it to reach the Arab world and Saudi Arabia. He did not say what form he believes such rules should take, but his comments put a Saudi filmmaker on record in favour of legal protection for writers, directors and crews.
He also had advice for other Saudi filmmakers: tell stories for Saudi audiences first rather than chase international viewers, because in his view authentic local work is what ends up travelling abroad. Al-Kalthami is working on several new films, including one in preparation that explores identity. He declined to name it, saying the title may change, and gave no release date.
