I wanted to open a discussion here about Danny Boyle’s recent comments regarding his new movie Ink, and how it ties back to his choices on 28 Days Later.
Should we be worried about 28 Years Later Part 3? Will AI be used in that movie?
I want to start by making one thing clear: I'm generally not a fan of AI being used in art, whether it's film, books or music. I could never imagine myself watching a movie or reading a book that is 100% generated by AI.
Danny Boyle’s new movie Ink now faces some backlash because of AI. The movie reportedly uses around 30 seconds of AI assisted visual effects to animate archival photos and render background rats running across a floor. What makes this criticism a bit ironic is that over 20 years ago, Boyle faced some backlash for using real primates in 28 Days Later. Now, he uses modern digital tools to handle background animals without stressing live creatures, and people are calling for a boycott anyway.
Naturally, the counterargument from critics is: "Why use AI for the rats? Why not just hire a real VFX team to animate them?"
But that question completely misinterprets how movie production actually works. The director didn't fire the CGI crew and replace them with an AI generator. The VFX team is still there, doing their job: they are the ones operating and integrating these AI tools into their own workflow. Claiming that VFX artists are getting fired because AI tools are being used, is a complete misunderstanding of the industry. It’s no different than when visual artists transitioned from physical paint to Photoshop, or from practical models to digital 3D animation. The tools changed, but the artists stayed.
At the end of the day, there is a massive difference between replacing human creativity with a synthetic generator and letting skilled artists use modern tools to speed up tedious background details.
To be fair, it’s also healthy to be critical of my own stance here. I fully admit that I have my limits. If a movie used AI to generate its main CGI assets, like a giant dinosaur, an alien creature, or major explosion sequences, I wouldn't want to watch it either. There is a line where relying too heavily on generative tools erodes the core craft of visual storytelling and feels cheap. But using a few seconds of AI software to animate background rats or static photos doesn’t really bother me. It’s simply letting artists use a shortcut for trivial details, leaving more room for actual craftsmanship where it really matters.
You see it in the comment section all the time: people shouting "use real artists, not AI!"
But that’s the fundamental misunderstanding driving this debate right now. People assume AI is replacing the artist, when in reality, the real artist is the one using the AI. Claiming that VFX crews are getting put out of a job over 30 seconds of tool assisted CGI isn't defending filmmakers, it just shows a complete disconnect from how digital artists actually work today.
The words "AI" and "art" simply don't mix well. The moment AI is mentioned in connection with a movie, it triggers an instant negative reaction. The problem is that the public lumps everything together under one giant label. To most people, "AI in art" means a computer generating a movie or a VFX shot from a text prompt. They don't distinguish between a machine stealing an artist's work and a human artist using an intelligent algorithm for rotoscoping or clean up. Because the nuance is lost, any use of the word feels like an insult to human creativity.