Gareth Edwards likens AI to ‘billionaire on acid’ and says it will surpass CGI

The Story

Director Gareth Edwards, known for Jurassic World Rebirth and Rogue One, spoke at Amazon’s AI on the Lot event in Culver City, California, on May 28, 2026, and publicly endorsed the use of generative AI in filmmaking. Edwards compared the technology to a “second-unit director who is a billionaire on acid” and predicted it would be “better than CGI.” Writer and director Paul Schrader also appeared at the event and offered his own views on AI’s potential for storytelling.

Key Facts

• Edwards spoke at Amazon’s AI on the Lot event in Culver City, California, as reported by both The Guardian and The Hollywood Reporter.
• Edwards described AI as “a fucking genius at helping you” and said it “has no taste whatsoever.”
• He compared AI to “a second-unit director who is a billionaire on acid” that will “do anything you ask” but sometimes “go batshit crazy.”
• Edwards stated that AI “is going to be better than CGI” and that it is “so clearly a tool that might be up there with the camera.”
• He said AI is “only good for iteration and discovering what the movie should be,” not for generating final stories.
• Edwards noted that “we don’t know where it’s going to go” and called anyone predicting the next five years “a liar.”
• Both sources report that Paul Schrader also spoke at the same event.

Conflicting Reports

No conflicting reports identified across sources.

Still Unclear

• The Guardian reports that Schrader said the future of AI is creating an AI protagonist, using the example of describing “a new Clint Eastwood” without naming him, and that extras are no longer needed. (Single-source claim)
• The Hollywood Reporter reports that Schrader described using ChatGPT to generate a story idea that he called “second-rate Schrader” but believed would soon be “first-rate Schrader.” (Single-source claim)
• The Hollywood Reporter states Edwards has been experimenting with diffusion models for nine months and wants to create a hybrid generative AI film, but has not done so because technology changes every three months. (Single-source claim)
• The Guardian notes that films using generative AI images, such as Steven Soderbergh’s John Lennon: The Last Interview, have received poor reviews. (Single-source claim)
• The sources do not specify which other directors or speakers attended the event, nor do they provide details on audience reaction.

Misconceptions

No widespread misconceptions addressed in the sources.

Key Figures

• Gareth Edwards – Director (Jurassic World Rebirth, Rogue One)
• Paul Schrader – Director and screenwriter (American Gigolo, First Reformed, Taxi Driver scribe)
• Amazon – Organizer of the AI on the Lot event

Sources: The Guardian, The Hollywood Reporter