Danny Boyle’s ‘Ink’ Just Lit Up Hollywood’s AI Debate

Director Danny Boyle faced questions at the Toronto International Film Festival after confirming his new Netflix drama Ink uses about 30 seconds of generative AI footage. The dispute shows why Hollywood cannot keep treating a technology that may replace workers as just another special-effects tool. Ink tells the story of Rupert Murdoch’s rise at Britain’s The Sun, where he helped turn tabloid journalism into a profit-driven fight for attention. The film examines the media culture that later fed partisan news and online clickbait. Yet Boyle’s own use of AI has put the film at the center of a debate about who controls the future of entertainment. During a Q&A after its Toronto screening, an audience member challenged Boyle about the precedent set by AI use in filmmaking. Boyle said the broader issue was too large for the panel. “The wider question of it and its place in our society of course, including our profession, is a huge and complicated one which I don’t think we can probably go into here, but we will need to go into it, all of us,” Boyle said. “It’s very good for animals.” ‘Ink’ director Danny Boyle shares his thoughts about the use of AI in film. See more updates from Te...