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Sean Astin asks Martin Scorsese and George Lucas to “speak carefully” about AI in future
The actor and SAG-AFTRA president said audiences need the filmmakers’ “leadership in navigating this space”
Sean Astin has urged Martin Scorsese and George Lucas to “speak thoughtfully and carefully” about the future of artificial intelligence.
- READ MORE: The wisdom of Martin Scorsese: “I had to go through everything in order to learn”
The actor, best known for playing Samwise Gamgee in The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, as well as roles in The Goonies and Stranger Things, has served as president of the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA since September 2025.
In a new interview with The Guardian, Astin was asked about prominent filmmakers who have openly embraced AI and encouraged the industry to explore its possibilities.
“I would ask these legends in the industry to speak thoughtfully and carefully about this technology,” he responded. “I get the sense sometimes that some of the commentary is not well thought-out. And I think that audiences really need their leadership in navigating this space.”
Earlier this year, Scorsese was announced as an advisor to Black Forest Labs, the company behind the generative AI image creator FLUX.
“Remember, cinema is a young medium, only around 125 years old, so we have to be open to how it can evolve,” the director said in promotional material for the company.
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His involvement prompted criticism from the Art Directors Guild, which accused him of having “turned his back” on the human artists who have contributed to his films. The union argued that using generative AI for storyboarding could circumvent the work of illustrators, production designers, graphic artists and other film professionals.
“To think their professional contributions can be mimicked or outshone by generative AI, which is built on work likely stolen from them and many other artists from around the world, is a betrayal of the collaborative nature of cinema,” it said.
Lucas, meanwhile, recently argued that the widespread adoption of AI in filmmaking was inevitable, comparing those resisting the technology to people rejecting the arrival of cars.
“Artificial intelligence means it’s much easier for us to make movies,” the Star Wars creator said. “There’s nothing you can do about it. That’s progress, it’s the future.”
SAG-AFTRA has spent the last three years campaigning for the passage of the No Fakes Act, which would establish an intellectual property right allowing individuals greater control over the use of their voice and likeness. Astin has described the proposal as “the silver-bullet fix” to the threat of AI.
AI was one of the central issues behind the Hollywood strikes in 2023, when SAG-AFTRA were seeking protections against studios creating and repeatedly using digital replicas of performers without consent or compensation.
The debate over AI in Hollywood has continued to intensify in recent months. Controversial virtual “actor” Tilly Norwood is set to make its feature debut as the lead of the entirely AI-generated coming-of-age film Misaligned.
Elsewhere, Guillermo del Toro recently insisted that there was “absolutely no goddamn AI” involved in the new restoration of Pan’s Labyrinth, while District 9 director Neill Blomkamp faced criticism over his use of the technology in a new zombie short film.
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Sean Astin has urged Martin Scorsese and George Lucas to “speak thoughtfully and carefully” about the future of artificial intelligence.
- READ MORE: The wisdom of Martin Scorsese: “I had to go through everything in order to learn”
The actor, best known for playing Samwise Gamgee in The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, as well as roles in The Goonies and Stranger Things, has served as president of the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA since September 2025.
In a new interview with The Guardian, Astin was asked about prominent filmmakers who have openly embraced AI and encouraged the industry to explore its possibilities.
“I would ask these legends in the industry to speak thoughtfully and carefully about this technology,” he responded. “I get the sense sometimes that some of the commentary is not well thought-out. And I think that audiences really need their leadership in navigating this space.”
Earlier this year, Scorsese was announced as an advisor to Black Forest Labs, the company behind the generative AI image creator FLUX.
“Remember, cinema is a young medium, only around 125 years old, so we have to be open to how it can evolve,” the director said in promotional material for the company.
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His involvement prompted criticism from the Art Directors Guild, which accused him of having “turned his back” on the human artists who have contributed to his films. The union argued that using generative AI for storyboarding could circumvent the work of illustrators, production designers, graphic artists and other film professionals.
“To think their professional contributions can be mimicked or outshone by generative AI, which is built on work likely stolen from them and many other artists from around the world, is a betrayal of the collaborative nature of cinema,” it said.
Lucas, meanwhile, recently argued that the widespread adoption of AI in filmmaking was inevitable, comparing those resisting the technology to people rejecting the arrival of cars.
“Artificial intelligence means it’s much easier for us to make movies,” the Star Wars creator said. “There’s nothing you can do about it. That’s progress, it’s the future.”
SAG-AFTRA has spent the last three years campaigning for the passage of the No Fakes Act, which would establish an intellectual property right allowing individuals greater control over the use of their voice and likeness. Astin has described the proposal as “the silver-bullet fix” to the threat of AI.
AI was one of the central issues behind the Hollywood strikes in 2023, when SAG-AFTRA were seeking protections against studios creating and repeatedly using digital replicas of performers without consent or compensation.
The debate over AI in Hollywood has continued to intensify in recent months. Controversial virtual “actor” Tilly Norwood is set to make its feature debut as the lead of the entirely AI-generated coming-of-age film Misaligned.
Elsewhere, Guillermo del Toro recently insisted that there was “absolutely no goddamn AI” involved in the new restoration of Pan’s Labyrinth, while District 9 director Neill Blomkamp faced criticism over his use of the technology in a new zombie short film.
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