When “Gladiator II” was nearing its release, filmmaker Ridley Scott spoke to Empire about the need to “embrace AI” and technological advancements in the medium of film and digital effects. Now, ahead of the release of “The Dog Stars,” Scott is warning against the broader real-world implications of AI — and specifically the people who sell it.
“My concern is that an AI can tap into every electrical system in every — think about the electrical system. It’s a system. It’s a vein. If they tap into the (circuiting) board, you can control the world,” Scott said in a new interview with Starmus Festival co-founders Garik Israelian and Queen’s Brian May. “For fun, you can switch off everything. Everything.”
“Is it giving power to the AI, or is it giving power to the people who are creating the AI?” May asked.
“You cannot trust that. You can’t trust that responsibility because they’re — I won’t name names, but you know who the f–k they are — they don’t give a s–t.”
Scott sat down with the co-founders of the international festival dedicated to astronomy, art and sciences, where he was awarded the 2026 Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication. The trio spoke deeply about the rise of artificial intelligence, a topic Scott himself has long covered as speculative fiction in his sci-fi films like “Alien” and “Blade Runner.”
Scott spoke about the hubris of these tech types as if describing one of his own stories.
“To me, whatever your wealth, whatever island you buy or mountain you own, whatever you create will catch you up and come to you,” he said. “It’ll just take a bit longer. So get sensible.”
“How do we do it?” May asked. “How do you put the controls on?”
“You don’t even want me really saying that,” Scott said with a laugh. “I’m not going to say it right now, but I know what to do.”
You can watch the full video below:
May remarked that he thinks it’s “wonderful” how driven Scott, at 88 years old, remains in both filmmaking and technology. When asked what’s left for the iconic filmmaker to conquer, he had a simple answer.
“Everything. Western, musicals,” Scott offered. “I’m already doing ‘Treasure Island’ now. I’ve cast Hugh Jackman to play Long John Silver. Hugh Grant I hope to play Squire Trelawney, who’s playing Mr. Pomposity. I cast the kid from ‘Adolescence’ (Owen Cooper) to play Jim, so I’m already into that. We shoot in November.”
