Hugh Grant's 'Heretic' surprises audiences with credits mentioning AI

The creators of Hugh Grant’s new movie, Heretic, have taken a stand against the use of generative AI in filmmaking.

Scott Beck and Bryan Woods added a message in the credits of their movie Heretic, which read: “No generative AI was used in the making of this film.”

Regarding the message, Woods told Variety: “We have no illusions that when people watch ‘Heretic’ they’re going to go, ‘Wait, did they use generative AI?' It doesn’t feel like that at all, but it was important for us to put that out there because we think it’s something people need to start talking about.”

For context, generative AI has been used in blockbusters like Furiosa and Alien: Romulus.

Without hesitation, Woods labelled AI as “an algorithm jumbling a bunch of shit together and then spitting it out as art. It’s not human and it’s borderline theft on some level.

“I think this idea that an algorithm can just scrape all of human history and art off the internet, repackage it, regurgitate it, spit it out and somebody else can use that to create profit … I don’t know why that’s legal,” he argued.

He continued: “It’s important for people to start talking about the need for human intersection in art, business and every facet of this life, because we’re on the precipice of every job on planet Earth being replaced overnight. It’s going to happen so fast. And it’s easy for it to happen in the arts. We’re in a business that is exceptionally greedy. Decisions are made for the bottom line and not for the good of the artistic process.”

Beck revealed that A24 supported the duo’s decision to add the message to the credits.

“As far as we’re aware, they’re absolutely fine with it,” he shared.

“They’re a studio that is incredibly artist-friendly in the best sense possible. They’re a home where you feel like you’re working with human beings, you’re not working with algorithms, or ‘How does the test score dictate the rollout of a movie?’ That human touch that they have we absolutely respect, and we are in a time where I feel like creatively we’re in one of the big ethical battles, and the race is already ahead of us.

He warned: “If there’s not people to throttle it, we’re going to find ourselves in five to ten years in a very dangerous situation.”

Woods added: “...Now let’s bury it underground with nuclear warheads, cause it might kill us all.”