Cannes AI film festival raises eyebrows – and questions about future | AI (artificial intelligence)

First edition of the World AI film festival (WAIFF) took place at Cannes, showcasing unconventional AI-generated films.
The Cannes film festival banned AI films for its Palme d’Or competition, arguing it lacks emotional depth, while WAIFF aimed to showcase the “nouvelle vague” AI cinema wave.
Most WAIFF films were dystopian and explored social anxieties about AI, with some notable exceptions creating compelling, lower-budget content.
There were instances of potential copyright infringement, including a controversial short film that closely resembled “Wallace and Gromit.”
Film-makers at the festival showed a duality between embracing AI for its benefits and demanding compensation from tech companies for its use of trained creatives’ intellectual property.
Despite heavy investment from Hollywood figures, the Cannes film festival remains resistant to AI films, advocating for the personal vision and emotional depth of human filmmakers.
Festival attendees saw an ironic juxtaposition in an opening performance featuring an 80-piece human orchestra, hinting at the ongoing relevance of human artistry.