Steven Soderbergh has revealed that ten per cent of his forthcoming John Lennon documentary will consist of AI-generated scenes, and insisted the late Beatle would have approved of the technology. The Oscar-winning director focuses on Lennon’s final in-depth radio interview with Yoko Ono on 8 December 1980, just hours before he was shot dead.
Soderbergh told Deadline that AI was used to create metaphorical images for sections where Lennon and Ono speak in abstract philosophical terms. He said the aim was to “enhance what they’re saying” without trying to deceive viewers, comparing the use to VFX or CGI.
The filmmaker collaborated with tech company Meta, which provided the technology and helped finish the film. Soderbergh said AI remains a “very emotional subject” but stressed his approach does not replace human effort.
He consulted Lennon’s son, Sean Ono Lennon, who said his father “would’ve wanted to engage” with the technology, as all the Beatles loved new tech. Soderbergh noted that AI in film is a hot topic, with the Oscars recently updating rules to require human-created performances.
