20-Year-Old Backrooms Director Kane Parsons Declares War on AI Filmmaking

Kane Parsons isn’t interested in what AI can do for cinema. The 20-year-old director behind the sci-fi psychological horror hit Backrooms has made it abundantly clear that generative artificial intelligence has no place in the creative process—and he’s willing to say what most people in Hollywood are apparently thinking quietly.

In an interview with The Australian, Parsons didn’t mince words. If he could snap his fingers and make AI disappear entirely, he’d do it without hesitation. He’s not alone in feeling this way—he noted that his stance aligns with what“most well-adjusted people”believe. For Parsons, the math is simple: using AI tools strips away the whole point of making art. There’s no creative satisfaction in leaning on technology to do the heavy lifting, and that’s a non-starter for someone whose breakthrough film is already proving its commercial muscle at the box office.

What makes his pushback particularly significant is that Parsons acknowledges the tempting counterargument. Yes, AI could theoretically reduce the labor burden on VFX work and other post-production tasks. But he sees that slope as far too slippery. Give the industry an inch with AI efficiency, and the entire foundation of filmmaking as a craft starts to crumble. Hard pass, he’s saying, and studios would be wise to listen.

His timing couldn’t be sharper. While Parsons was laying down this boundary, heavyweight directors like Martin Scorsese have been publicly embracing AI for certain pre- and post-production work, including storyboarding. That embrace has already drawn criticism from industry observers worried about job losses and the dilution of directorial vision. Parsons’statement adds fuel to a debate that’s clearly far from settled in Hollywood.

The irony isn’t lost: here’s a 20-year-old with a massively successful film under his belt, refusing to take shortcuts that established directors are increasingly willing to consider. Backrooms’performance at the box office gives his argument real weight. When the next generation of filmmakers is rejecting AI as a creative crutch, that’s a signal studio brass probably can’t ignore—no matter how tempting the efficiency gains might look on a spreadsheet.