Christopher Nolan has described artificial intelligence as an obvious Trojan horse, noting that the public, especially younger generations, has already identified the Greeks inside.
The director of the new film adaptation of “The Odyssey” made these remarks while speaking with Hugo Travers, a YouTube creator known as HugoDécrypte. Travers asked about the legendary horse from Nolan’s movie, which served as a gift hiding Greek invaders. He drew a parallel to AI, suggesting it might be something people welcome into their daily routines that eventually turns into something darker.
Nolan laughed and replied that everyone now knows the Greeks are inside the machine. He later added that the technology is like a transparent horse made of glass.
“I’ve never seen a technology advancing so rapidly that has been so completely rejected by the public,” he said. “Everybody’s suspicion of it is so extreme, particularly young people.”
He pointed to the reaction to AI videos online, where children his own age immediately label the output as “AI slop” and place it in a box.
In Nolan’s view, this represents a very healthy skepticism. He argued that while technology will always offer great gifts, it must be viewed with suspicion. Similarly, he stated that the motives of those providing the technology must also be viewed with skepticism. He believes this approach yields the best results from new tools rather than blind faith that everything will be great.
Nolan did not specify further what he sees as the threat from AI. The technology has become a growing source of concern in Hollywood and was a major focus during the writers’ and actors’ strikes of 2023. The Directors Guild of America, where Nolan serves as president, also secured generative AI protections in its most recent contract.
The director has been famously resistant to other technologies, including smartphones. His embrace of film can make him seem simultaneously like a Luddite and a pioneer, with “The Odyssey” becoming the first feature film shot entirely on Imax film and cameras.
When The New York Times recently asked Nolan if he thinks of himself as a technophobe, he replied, “I think of myself as a techno-skeptic.” He said his love of film comes from the fact that it is better at representing the way the eye sees the world than any digital imaging system he has seen.
“I embrace new technology all the time, but it tends to be sold to people at the expense of systems that might still be valid and viable,” Nolan said. “That’s what I saw in my industry — throwing the baby out with the bath water. We almost lost film!”
What it means
For people making things, the industry is already self-policing through a culture of distrust. Young creators are actively filtering out content they believe is generated by machines, calling it “AI slop”. This creates a barrier where human-made work is valued simply because it avoids the label of being artificial. The fear is not just about the tool itself, but about the intent of those deploying it.
