Archive · 6 Sep 2026
Danny Boyle Confirms Generative AI Use in Rupert Murdoch Film
Danny Boyle made a movie called Ink about how The Sun newspaper grew in Britain.
He said the film uses generative AI for a short part.
The AI animates some old photographs.
He also mentioned scenes showing mice in the newspaper office.
Boyle thinks AI can be useful when people use it carefully.
He believes actors should be paid if AI replaces their performances.
He also worries that companies could use AI to replace journalists.
Ink will be released in cinemas in December and on Netflix in January.
Danny Boyle said generative AI appears for about 30 seconds in Ink.
AI was used to animate a couple of old photographs and create scenes involving mice.
Boyle called AI a useful tool if used respectfully and actors are paid when replaced.
He warned that technology companies could use AI to replace journalism with cheaper automated reporting.
Ink stars Jack O’Connell, Guy Pearce and Claire Foy and is scheduled for cinemas in December.
- Who
- Filmmaker Danny Boyle, with actors including Jack O’Connell, Guy Pearce and Claire Foy.
- What
- Boyle confirmed that generative AI was used in Ink for animated photographs and mice-related scenes.
- When
- The confirmation was made during a Vanity Fair interview at the Telluride Film Festival; Ink opened the Venice Film Festival that week.
- Where
- The interview was conducted from Telluride; Ink concerns the British newspaper The Sun.
- Why
- AI was used as a filmmaking tool, while Boyle raised concerns about its possible effect on actors and journalism.
AI as a Filmmaking Tool
AI as a Threat to Creative Work and Journalism
Use in film production
AI as a Filmmaking Tool
Boyle said AI can be a useful tool when used respectfully, citing its limited use in Ink to animate photographs and create mice-related scenes.
AI as a Threat to Creative Work and Journalism
Boyle said actors should be paid if they are replaced by an AI embodiment, highlighting concerns about the effect of AI on performers.
Impact on journalism
AI as a Filmmaking Tool
AI could make journalism more efficient and cheaper, according to the possibility Boyle described.
AI as a Threat to Creative Work and Journalism
Boyle warned that AI-generated journalists might not speak truth to the power that created them.
- Film
- Ink
- Director
- Danny Boyle
- AI use
- About 30 seconds of generative AI appears in the film.
- AI applications
- Animating a couple of old photographs and scenes involving mice.
- Subject
- The launch and rise of the British tabloid newspaper The Sun.
- Cast
- Jack O’Connell, Guy Pearce and Claire Foy.
- Release
- Scheduled for cinemas in December and Netflix in January.