Director James Cameron has assured fans that no generative AI was involved in the production of 'Avatar: Fire and Ash,' emphasizing the use of real human actors through performance capture. He expressed concerns about AI replacing performers while supporting its potential in visual effects to reduce costs. The film is set to release in theaters on December 19.
Background on the Statement
James Cameron made the comments in an interview with ComicBook.com ahead of the worldwide theatrical release of 'Avatar: Fire and Ash,' the third installment in the franchise. The director, known for his innovative use of performance capture technology, wanted to clarify that the film's characters are brought to life by actual actors, not AI-generated performances. "I’m not negative about generative AI," Cameron said. "I just wanted to point out we don’t use it on the ‘Avatar’ films. We honor and celebrate actors. We don’t replace actors."
Cameron has long advocated for recognizing the human effort behind motion-capture roles. In a 2024 Variety cover story on Zoe Saldaña, who reprises her role as Neytiri, he argued that the Academy Awards should honor such performances. "I’ve worked with Academy Award-winning actors, and there’s nothing that Zoe’s doing that’s of a caliber less than that," Cameron stated. "But because in my film she’s playing a ‘CG character,’ it kind of doesn’t count in some way, which makes no sense to me whatsoever."
Actor Perspectives
Saldaña echoed this sentiment earlier in 2025, describing performance capture as "the most empowering form of acting." She highlighted the physical demands, including archery, martial arts, free diving, and learning a created language, all performed by the cast and stunt team. "Performance capture means that ‘Avatar’ wouldn’t exist if Sigourney Weaver, Sam Worthington, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, myself, and the entire cast didn’t get up and put those dots on our faces," she told Beyond Noise.
Cameron's Balanced View on AI
While critical of AI's potential to create artificial actors—calling it "horrifying" in a CBS Sunday Morning interview—Cameron is not opposed to all AI applications. In September 2024, he joined the board of Stability AI, the company behind Stable Diffusion. He sees AI's role in post-production, particularly visual effects, to halve costs and speed up workflows without replacing artists. "If we want to continue to see the kinds of movies that I’ve always loved... we’ve got to figure out how to cut the cost of that in half," he said on the 'Boz to the Future' podcast.
Cameron also doubts AI's ability to craft compelling stories, insisting human experiences are essential for screenwriting. "You have to be human to write that," he told CTV News.
'Avatar: Fire and Ash' is produced by Disney and 20th Century Studios.