James Cameron has expressed disappointment over the lack of recognition for his film Avatar: The Way of Water at the 2023 Academy Awards, attributing its underwhelming performance to an “anti-AI backlash.” While the original Avatar film, released in 2009, garnered nine nominations including best picture and best director, the sequel only received three nominations and won one award for best visual effects.
During a recent interview on The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, Cameron elaborated on his views regarding the film’s reception. He suggested that misconceptions about artificial intelligence in filmmaking may have influenced voters. “Look, we’ll never know… Did we lose by one vote or 500?” he pondered, reflecting on the stark contrast between the two films’ accolades.
Cameron emphasized that he considers Avatar 2 to be one of his most visually stunning works. Despite his disappointment, he acknowledged that the industry’s wariness over AI may have overshadowed the film’s merits. “I won’t say I wasn’t disappointed,” he stated, “but I think our filmmaking community misunderstood how I make these films, thinking it was created by computer technology.”
The director firmly asserted that he did not employ generative AI in the making of Avatar: The Way of Water. He said, “We’ve never used generative AI—there’s not one image in the new film that was created by generative AI.” Cameron believes that the film was unfairly stigmatized due to widespread concerns over the role of AI in the creative process.
In recent months, the film industry has faced challenges, including a notable writers’ strike that heightened fears surrounding AI’s impact on jobs. Cameron remarked that this climate likely contributed to the negative perception surrounding his film. “I think we just got painted by a very broad brush… Now, that said, people may have legitimately just not thought the movie was good,” he reflected.
Despite the controversy, Cameron remains proud of his work on Avatar: The Way of Water. He hopes that the film’s artistic value will eventually be recognized, even as the conversation about AI in filmmaking continues to evolve.
