RIYADH: Saudi filmmaker Ali Al-Kalthami has warned that using artificial intelligence to replace human talent in cinema would damage the industry, and has called for legislation to protect creative jobs.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, the director and writer said technology was changing how content is made but not what makes it work.

“Technology changes, and you have to keep up with the times, but the fundamentals stay the same,” he said, adding that the idea, the story and the connection with the audience remain at the heart of the craft.

There is no ready-made recipe or magic formula for creativity and more cameras or better lighting and microphones do not make a work creative, he said.

Instead, creativity comes from years of brainstorming, research and writing, and ideas go through a complex process of exploration and experimentation before they take shape.

“There is no formula for creativity in content. It is intense brainstorming, sessions that go on for years, and writing that stretches over months. Writing is like moving through a minefield while constantly searching,” he said.

No shortcuts

Al-Kalthami said writers often find themselves in unfamiliar territory, where persistent research can turn up material that enriches a script. Even so, the process regularly stalls.

“Sometimes I hit a brick wall while writing, and I still do, because I do not believe in rushing the writing or the shoot,” he said. “Our goal is for the work to reach the audience and leave a real impact. If that happens, that is success.”

Al-Kalthami stressed the importance of telling stories that reflect Saudi society and its realities. He said Saudi filmmakers should focus first on telling stories that reflect their own society, rather than chasing international audiences.

“What matters most is telling a story to people here, to our fellow Saudis. If the story touches them and reaches them, we have achieved our goal,” he said.

“When a work succeeds at home, it will draw viewers outside the Kingdom too, because they want to know how Saudis live and talk, and what their relationships and values are.”

For Al-Kalthami, audiences connect with work that is honest and rooted in its local setting, adding that authenticity is what lets a film travel. “People connect with you when they see something sincere that comes from a purely local place, and that is how a work travels abroad.”

‘A tool, not a goal’

Al-Kalthami said the field was moving too fast for any fixed view of it to last. “AI and its technologies evolve by the second. Whatever idea you form about it today will change tomorrow. For me, it is a tool, not a goal.”

Fears of AI replacing humans are nothing new, he said. He compared current anxieties to those that greeted earlier technologies.

“Just like the internet, radio and the mobile phone, this is a new technological development. Those who understand how to work with it and use it to serve the human spirit will endure. Putting up barriers and fearing it outright will not be the answer.”

He cautioned, however, over hasty use of AI in film and the arts, calling for a regulatory framework to protect the sector and its workforce.

Regulation and protection

He drew the line at AI-generated feature films made for commercial release when the aim is simply to replace people and cut costs, saying this could hurt those who work in the sector.

“There has to be legislation to regulate this. It has already started in Europe and America, and I think it is coming to the Arab world and to Saudi Arabia too,” he said. “The goal is to protect the cultural sector and the creative economy and support their healthy growth.”

Al-Kalthami said he uses AI himself during development, to test ideas and explore visual concepts before shooting begins.

“I use AI for early experiments before producing a work. I can see the ideas in my head and evaluate them, and identify technical problems I might face before I start shooting,” he said.

What is next

Al-Kalthami is working on several new films, including one in preparation that will explore the theme of identity. He declined to reveal its title, saying it may change, and gave no release date.

This article was first published in Asharq.