‘Something lost’: Project Hail Mary producer Rachel O’Connor rebuffs AI, backs human-made movies
Guess who’s not ready to let AI take over Hollywood.
At TheWrap’s The Grill 2026 , producer Rachel O’Connor didn’t argue that AI has no place in moviemaking — she acknowledged it could make productions cheaper. But she drew a line around what gets lost when the tech replaces people, stressing that the aim is still movies made by humans.
“There’s something lost in not having a movie made by people,”
O’Connor, whose credits include Project Hail Mary and the Spider- Man films, pointed to the kind of work that can’t be automated: the messy, collaborative problem-solving that happens between actors, directors, writers, producers and VFX teams on a big studio project.
- Actors — shaping performance and tone in the moment
- Directors — steering story and style on set
- Writers — adjusting dialogue and scenes as they evolve
- Producers — balancing creative needs with time and budget
- VFX teams — integrating design with what was captured on camera
“Stay human,” says del Toro
Her stance tracks with what Guillermo del Toro has been saying about art and technology. Speaking about his approach — including his work on Frankenstein — he framed the issue as bigger than whether AI can mimic a look.
“The discourse between the soul of mankind and the arts is a very sacred discourse. It’s molecularly important to stay human,”
Del Toro made the remark in an interview with IGN.