Sean Penn Calls AI a ‘Human Obscenity,’ Slams Producers Guild as a ‘Bankers Guild’

variety.com:

Sean Penn is standing in solidarity with the writers guild, whose members are currently on strike to fight for better wages and work conditions in the streaming era. “My full support is with the writers guild,” Penn said during Friday’s press conference for his latest movie “Black Flies,” which debuted in competition at Cannes Film Festival. “There are a lot of new concepts that are being tossed around, including the use of AI.

And it just strikes me as human obscenity that there’s been a pushback on that.” Penn also slammed the PGA as a “bankers guild,” saying “the first thing we should do in these conversations is change the Producers Guild and title them how they behave, which is the bankers guild.

It’s difficult for so many writers and people in the industry who cannot work.” A day prior, “Black Flies” premiered at the Palais, where it received a five-minute standing ovation.

Directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire and adapted from Shannon Burke’s 2008 novel, the story follows young paramedic Ollie Cross, who dreams of going to medical school.