Steven Soderbergh Will Use Any Tool, Including AI, to Make a Great Movie

Steven Soderbergh has never been the type to shy away from weird new tech or, frankly, from trolling the expectations of Hollywood. But his latest creative experiments, especially around artificial intelligence, have ruffled more than a few feathers—both on social media and inside the movie industry itself. The response? He seems to be enjoying the stir.

Soderbergh vs. The AI Backlash

During his recent press tour for 'The Christophers', Soderbergh got very candid about how he uses AI and the weird energy it's kicked up among both fans and peers. In his own words:

'I'm just not threatened by it. I'm only scared of things I don't understand.'

In other words: AI doesn’t keep him up at night—even if it makes everyone else anxious.

Soderbergh pointed out that, for his new documentary 'John Lennon: The Last Interview', he brought in AI not just to cut corners, but to genuinely get visuals he couldn’t have pulled off with a conventional camera crew. According to him, it had less to do with the 'robots taking over' and more to do with flexing some creative muscle:

'It allowed me to solve a creative problem about how to visualize what John and Yoko are speaking about philosophically.'

Basically, the man wanted trippy imagery. The tech delivered.

The problem: Once Soderbergh started talking openly about this, especially after mentioning that he’d use even more AI for a future film about the Spanish-American War (mostly for budget reasons), critics started circling. According to Soderbergh, he only realized how big the backlash had gotten when colleagues started treating him like a guy who just got bad medical news:

'I found out from people looking at me like they'd seen my chest X-ray.'

The Nuts and Bolts: Soderbergh’s Argument for AI

• ‘John Lennon: The Last Interview’ – Soderbergh used AI to create visuals traditional filming just couldn’t achieve, mainly to represent Lennon and Yoko’s philosophical discussions.
• Spanish-American War Project – He’s upfront that AI-generated imagery will be a big part of this future project, mostly because visual effects houses are expensive and, well, movies aren’t getting cheaper to make.
• Cost vs. Creativity – He sees AI as a pragmatic tool—helpful for certain problems, definitely not a replacement for everything or the industry’s doom.

As Soderbergh put it: 'I don't think it's the solution to everything, and I don't think it's the death of everything.'

Not Everyone’s On Board—Even Among Friends

Ed Solomon, who worked with Soderbergh on 'The Christophers', isn’t thrilled about AI as a creative shortcut. He’s in the 'don’t mess with my process' camp, basically saying AI saps the fun out of writing. If you’ve ever tried to automate something you love doing, you probably get it.

So where does this leave us? Soderbergh doesn’t seem likely to back down. His stance is simple: If a new tool helps him get a better movie across the finish line (without blowing up the budget), he’s going to use it.

Some people might see that as risky. Soderbergh just sees another day on the job.