Guillermo del Toro never misses when it comes to passion, honesty and pure artistic conviction, and he proved it again at the Gotham Awards. While accepting the Vanguard Tribute Award for his upcoming film Frankenstein, the filmmaker used the stage to send a very clear message about the future of cinema and the role of real artists in it.
He described Frankenstein as a film built entirely by humans, for humans, made with intention, craft and emotion. And then he dropped the line that instantly went viral across film circles and social media. He said, this film was willfully made for humans by humans . F*ck AI.
It was not subtle. It was not diplomatic. It was Guillermo del Toro doing exactly what he does best, defending art with his full chest. In an industry drowning in AI debates, mass generated content and fears about creativity being replaced by code, his statement hit like a lightning bolt.
Del Toro has always been vocal about protecting the human soul of filmmaking, but calling out AI so directly at a major awards event has already sparked a new wave of conversation. Fans, filmmakers and writers are celebrating him online, saying he spoke for every artist who feels threatened by studios prioritising algorithms over actual storytelling.
But beyond the headline moment, what stood out was how deeply personal this project clearly is to him. Frankenstein is not just another retelling. It is del Toro’s long dreamed creation finally taking shape, filled with human hands, human flaws, human imagination and human emotion. His message was a reminder. Art is not supposed to be perfect or programmed. It is supposed to be lived, flawed and made by people who feel something.
And in a time where AI is creeping into scripts, visuals and even performances, he made one thing very clear. He is not here to let machines take over. He is here to defend cinema, the artists behind it and the humanity that makes films matter in the first place.
It was loud. It was raw. And it was Guillermo del Toro at his absolute best.
