Ridley Scott Is Terrified of AI: ‘It’s a Technical Hydrogen Bomb’

“Several of your films have explored artificial intelligence,” Rolling Stone pointed out to 85-year-old Ridley Scott, before asking: “Does AI worry you?”

Ridley Scott: I always thought the world would end up being run by two corporations, and I think we’re headed in that direction. Tyrell Corp in Blade Runner probably owned 45-50% of the world, and one of his playthings was creating replication through DNA. Tyrell thinks he’s god and in the first Blade Runner has made a Nexus female. And the Nexus female will have a limited lifespan because AI will get dangerous. We have to lock down AI. And I don’t know how you’re gonna lock it down. They have these discussions in the government, “How are we gonna lock down AI?” Are you fucking kidding? You’re never gonna lock it down. Once it’s out, it’s out. If I’m designing AI, I’m going to design a computer whose first job is to design another computer that’s cleverer than the first one. And when they get together, then you’re in trouble, because then it can take over the whole electrical-monetary system in the world and switch it off. That’s your first disaster. It’s a technical hydrogen bomb. Think about what that would mean?

Rolling Stone: I wanted to ask you about what effect you think AI will have on Hollywood as it was a big sticking point in the writers’ strike, in particular. One fear is that studios will plug a book into AI, have it crap out an “adaptation,” and then pay actual screenwriters day rates to punch it up.
Ridley Scott: Yeah. They really have to not allow this, and I don’t know how you can control it. Another AI expert said, “We are way over-panicking. Of course, I have a computer that can defeat a chess master in an hour because we can feed him every conceivable move from data, and it’ll process 1,900 conceivable moves on what the person will do next in seconds, and the guy is in trouble.” There’s something non-creative about data. You’re gonna get a painting created by a computer, but I like to believe — and I’m saying this without confidence — it won’t work with anything particularly special that requires emotion or soul. With that said, I’m still worried about it.

The article also looks back more than 40 years, to when Ridley Scott was going to direct Dune in between filming Alien and Blade Runner. Scott says he had “a really good screenplay, had all the sets to go” — but the producer had wanted to save money by filiming it in Mexico City, and Scott “didn’t love” the idea of spending a year there.