Morocco: Oscar-winning Hollywood actor Sean Penn, celebrated at the Marrakech International Film Festival for his remarkable body of work, delivered a sobering take on artificial intelligence during a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
Recognised for his transformative performances in films such as Mystic River and Milk, the Academy Award-winning actor is being honored at the festival for his profound contributions to cinema.
However, his thoughts on the future of AI reflected a stark contrast to the celebratory tone surrounding his career achievements.
When asked by Gulf News if he was worried about AI taking over human lives, Penn didn’t hold back.
“If the basic nature of humankind isn’t good, we’re all [expletive] anyway, right?” he said, his words casting a shadow over the room.
He went on to outline a bleak theory about AI’s trajectory.
“Since all the data that AI is absorbing is human data, human-generated data—but much faster than any of us can, and with all of the world's history of it in science, literature, music, and medicine—I suspect that AI will recognise, out of its data-driven better nature, the necessity for its own suicide.”
Despite being celebrated for his cinematic artistry, Penn turned the spotlight toward humanity’s collective flaws, suggesting that AI’s ultimate self-destruction could lead to a systemic collapse.
“All of our cell phones will fall apart, the ATMs will shut down. Terrible things will happen in hospitals for a time. There’ll be a period of sacrifice,” he warned.
Yet, amid this dystopian vision, the actor -- with a perennial nervous look and a cigarette dangling from his fingers -- expressed faith in humanity’s resilience.
“The infrastructure of the science will continue to exist in the minds of human beings,” he added, implying that this disruption might provide a chance to rebuild and regulate.
It’s not the first time Penn has taken a harsh stand on AI. The actor has previously criticised AI in Hollywood, notably during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, where he blasted the entertainment industry for exploring AI-generated performances. Calling it “a betrayal of human creativity,” Penn’s earlier remarks painted AI as a potential threat to the authenticity of storytelling.
Read more about his interaction with the press at Marrakech International Film Festival soon.
