By Peter.
At the 22nd Marrakech International Film Festival on Friday, **Jenna Ortega (22), the breakout star of Netflix’s Wednesday, delivered a passionate defence of human creativity and sounded the alarm on artificial intelligence’s growing role in the arts.
Speaking at the jury press conference alongside Bong Joon Ho, Anya Taylor-Joy, Julia Ducournau and others, Ortega said:
“There is real charm in the human condition… We have a tendency, when you look back at history, to always take things too far. It’s very easy to be terrified. I know I am in times like this of deep uncertainty. It kind of feels like we’ve opened Pandora’s Box.”
The youngest jury member at Marrakech continued:
“There are certain things AI just isn’t able to replicate. There are beautiful, difficult mistakes, and a computer can’t do that. A computer has no soul, and it’s nothing we would ever be able to resonate with or relate to.”
Ortega expressed hope that audiences will eventually reject the “soulless” output of AI-generated content the same way people eventually crave real food after too much fast food:
“I would hope it gets to a point where it becomes some sort of mental junk food. We all feel sick, we don’t know why, and then that one independent filmmaker in their backyard releases something real, and it sparks this new excitement again.”
Her comments echo a growing chorus from Hollywood creatives (including Keanu Reeves, Billie Eilish, and the late Matthew Perry) who fear AI will erode the authenticity and emotional depth that only flawed, human-made art can deliver.
The Marrakech Film Festival runs until December 6, 2025, with Bong Joon Ho presiding over the jury that includes Ortega and eight other acclaimed filmmakers.
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