‘Backrooms’ Director Kane Parsons Slams AI as “Cultural Rot”
Kane Parsons, the visionary director behind the viral horror sensation Backrooms, has taken a firm stance against the rise of generative AI in the creative industries. In a recent interview, the filmmaker did not mince words, describing the technology as a symptom of “cultural and economic rot” that fundamentally undermines the essence of artistic expression.
Reflecting on the current state of the film industry, Parsons expressed a desire for the technology to be removed from the creative landscape entirely. “If I could snap my fingers and make generative AI disappear forever, I probably would,” he stated. “Creatively, I get no enjoyment from using those tools. It defeats the purpose entirely for me.”
Parsons, who rose to prominence through his YouTube work before transitioning to feature-length filmmaking, emphasized that his interest in AI is purely analytical rather than practical. He noted that the ubiquity of AI-generated content—often visible in modern advertising and digital media—feels less like genuine innovation and more like a degradation of visual culture. Rather than utilizing AI to generate art, he is interested in exploring what the technology represents as a societal phenomenon in his future projects.
The debate surrounding artificial intelligence remains one of the most contentious issues in Hollywood. Concerns persist that the widespread adoption of these tools could lead to the displacement of human artists and the erosion of authentic creativity. High-profile figures have weighed in on the matter with varying perspectives. While individuals such as Evangeline Lily have criticized the impact of AI on industry employment, and James Cameron has maintained that technology cannot replace the human soul of filmmaking, others have taken a more pragmatic approach. Directors like Steven Soderbergh and Martin Scorsese have explored how AI might serve as a functional tool for specific production processes, such as storyboarding or post-production.
Despite the industry-wide discourse, Parsons remains focused on his own creative path. Following the success of Backrooms, he has already begun teasing a potential sequel, continuing to build on the unsettling, meme-inspired aesthetic that defined his debut. For Parsons, the future of cinema lies in human intent, not in the automated outputs of algorithms.
