As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly common in Hollywood productions, it remains one of the industry’s most hotly debated issues. Now, Gore Verbinski, the director of the original Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, is advocating for an AI rating system designed to inform—and potentially warn away—audiences.
Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), Walt Disney Pictures
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“You’re supposed to check this box to say no AI is used in your movie, and it’s going to become very complicated soon,” he said. At the same time, the veteran director acknowledged that AI has been used in some capacity for years. The issue, he argues, is that audiences want transparency about how their entertainment is produced.
Gore Verbinski Proposes AI Rating System
Variety reports that Verbinski suggested the idea during an appearance at the Taormina Film Festival in Italy.
“Technically speaking, artificial intelligence was being used for grading films, sharpening tools,” Verbinski said. “These tools have existed for 20 years.”
However, Verbinski suggested that the broader issue is not how much AI is used in post-production. His comments indicate that his primary concern is its role in the creative process.
“You almost need a rating system. If you use AI to write a script, you get an F. What people are most afraid of is that there is no transparency. People are afraid of what is real and what isn’t.”
Sam Rockwell in Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die – Briarcliff Entertainment, YouTube
Verbinski admitted that AI may have a place for independent filmmakers working with limited budgets. But those exceptions come with a caveat, and the director suggested he would impose restrictions in his own work.
“I think you have to be absolutely transparent [about] what it was used for. I would never try to use it to be in front of the story.”
AI Could Change How Future Filmmakers Learn
One of the biggest concerns Verbinski expressed is the potential loss of apprenticeship opportunities within the industry.
“I do think the path for young filmmakers is going to be forever changed,” he said.
Shot from Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die – Briarcliff Entertainment, YouTube
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Noting that Hollywood once recruited directors from the worlds of music videos and commercials, Verbinski speculated that the next generation of filmmakers may instead develop their skills creating AI-assisted content on YouTube.
“As the industry reaches for those storytellers, that will be very interesting: are they grabbing at somebody who was cheating?” he asked.
A Timely Debate for Verbinski’s New Film
The timing of Verbinski’s call for an AI rating system is notable. He made the comments while attending the festival where his first film in more than a decade, Good Luck, Have Fun Don’t Die, was screening in competition. The sci-fi comedy-drama explores humanity’s relationship with artificial intelligence and reflects many of the same concerns he has raised publicly about the technology.
For his own part, Verbinski said he would prefer to return to a more traditional approach to filmmaking.
Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest – Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers, YouTube
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“I would love to go purely analog and just tell a movie with no visual effects, no animation or anything. Because I think that’s the fundamental of storytelling.”
Whether Hollywood embraces an AI rating system remains to be seen. However, as AI tools become more sophisticated and widely adopted, the question of transparency is likely to become increasingly difficult for studios to ignore.
If filmmakers like Verbinski get their way, audiences may soon know exactly how much artificial intelligence helped create the movies they are paying to see—and decide for themselves whether that matters.
Do you think Hollywood needs an AI rating system? Let us know in the comments!
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