Content Advisory: This article discusses artificial intelligence, job-loss fears in Hollywood, and backlash over celebrity comments. Reader discretion is advised.
Demi Moore is facing backlash after her Cannes comments about artificial intelligence left some film fans furious.
The actress, who is serving on the jury at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, was asked during a press conference about AI and its possible impact on the movie industry. Her answer quickly spread online, with critics accusing her of sounding out of touch with working actors, writers, crew members, and other industry professionals who fear AI could threaten their jobs.
Demi Moore Says Fighting AI Is A Losing Battle
Moore began by acknowledging the size of the issue.
“Wow, that’s a big question,” she said.
She then argued that Hollywood should focus on working with AI rather than trying to reject it outright. “I always feel that against-ness breeds against-ness,” Moore said. “AI is here. And so to fight it is to fight something that is a battle that we will lose.”
She added, “So to find ways in which we can work with it, I think, is a more valuable path to take.” Moore admitted she did not know whether the industry was doing enough to protect itself from AI-related risks, saying her instinct was “probably not.”
Moore Says AI Cannot Replace The Soul Of Art
The ‘Substance’ star also said she sees potential value in AI as a tool.
“There’s beautiful aspects to being able to utilize” it, she said, while arguing that the technology still has limits.
“The truth is there really isn’t anything to fear because what it can never replace is what true art comes from,” Moore said. “It comes from the soul. It comes from the spirit of each and every one of us sitting here, to each and every one of us who creates every day.”
She added that AI can never recreate that through something purely technical.
That did not soften the reaction online.
Critics Call Moore’s AI Take ‘Dumb’ And Out Of Touch
After the clip went viral, social media users criticized Moore’s comments as naive, especially given the growing fears about AI replacing jobs across entertainment.
“What a dumb argument,” one person wrote. “Just because Demi Moore is here, it doesn’t mean directors need to cast her.”
Another said she sounded “like an investor, not an artist,” arguing that older movie stars who already made their money may not understand what AI could mean for less powerful workers in the industry. One commenter speculated that celebrities defending AI may have financial interests tied to the technology, writing, “Every celebrity that comes out and says this is probably investing in it.” The commenter added, “You have to be completely oblivious to the reality of most industry workers to not grasp how this is going to eventually kill off the vast majority of their jobs. But then Moore, who used to be called “Gimme Moore” for her endless salary/perk demands, and was married to one of the world’s biggest movie stars at the height of his popularity, probably has zero concept of what it’s like in the industry for all the ‘little people.'”
Another argued that aging actors might embrace AI because it could allow them to sell their digital likeness and keep earning money, while younger or less established workers suffer the consequences. A different user rejected Moore’s “against-ness” line entirely, saying stronger regulation, blocked data centers, and refusing to use AI could reduce its spread.
Moore Also Defends Artistic Expression
Moore also spoke at Cannes about free speech and artistic expression after being asked whether filmmakers should avoid political statements.
“I think part of art is about expression,” she said. “So if we start censoring ourselves, then we shut down the very core of our creativity.”
Her Cannes comments come ahead of the release of her next film, ‘I Love Boosters’, written and directed by Boots Riley. The comedy-adventure film arrives in theaters May 22 and also stars Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Page, and Poppy Liu.
For Moore, the AI comment may have been an attempt at realism. For critics, it sounded like another wealthy celebrity telling the rest of Hollywood to accept a technology many workers believe could damage their future.
