Jenna Ortega, Jenna Ortega on AI [Image Source: ECONOMICTIMES]
Jenna Ortega, known for her role in “Wednesday,” offered her candid thoughts on artificial intelligence at the Marrakech Film Festival, highlighting unease about its growing impact on creativity and the world. Discussing “Jenna Ortega on AI,” she emphasized deep uncertainties about the technology’s reach in the creative industry.
Ortega Expresses Concern Over Artificial Intelligence
Speaking as a member of the festival jury under the leadership of “Mickey 17” director Bong Joon Ho, Ortega was asked for her perspective on artificial intelligence and its influence. Reflecting on humanity’s tendency to push boundaries, Ortega said,
“it kind of feels like we’ve opened Pandora’s box in a way.”
—Jenna Ortega, Actor.
She described how the unpredictable and rapid advances in AI have sparked widespread apprehension not just in filmmaking, but globally. Ortega’s comments come as the creative sector debates the benefits and pitfalls of new technology tools that increasingly intersect with artistic expression.
Hope for Artistic Renewal in Times of Change
Despite her worries, Ortega maintained an underlying optimism, suggesting that moments of confusion and difficulty can spur artists toward renewed creativity and advocacy. She reflected,
“In these difficult and confusing times, oftentimes it pushes the artist to speak out more, to do more, for there to be this new awakening and passion and protection, and I want to assume and hope that that’s the case.”
—Jenna Ortega, Actor.
Ortega insisted that, in her view, artificial intelligence cannot fully mimic the flawed yet beautiful aspects of human creation. She stressed,
“But there are certain things that AI just isn’t able to replicate. There’s beauty in difficulty, and there’s beauty in mistakes, and a computer can’t do that. A computer has no soul.”
—Jenna Ortega, Actor.
Anticipated Cultural Shift and Audience Response
Looking to the future, Ortega contemplated how audiences may eventually tire of overly produced, machine-made content. She expressed the hope that engagement with AI-generated media would spark a renewed appreciation for uniquely human creativity, stating,
Image of: Jenna Ortega
“comes to a point where it becomes sort of mental junk food and we feel sick and we don’t know why. I think, as terrible as it is to say, sometimes audiences need to be deprived of something in order to appreciate something again.”
—Jenna Ortega, Actor.
Bong Joon Ho, head of the festival jury and the acclaimed “Parasite” director, concurred with Ortega and suggested that this period represents an important turning point, saying,
“the very beginning of the human race finally seriously thinking about what only humans can do.”
—Bong Joon Ho, Filmmaker. He also offered a humorous take on AI’s future:
“My personal answer is I’m going to organise a military squad where their mission is to destroy AI all over the world.”
—Bong Joon Ho, Filmmaker.
What Lies Ahead for Ortega and AI in Art
As debates about AI continue across the globe, Ortega is preparing for her next film role in “The Gallerist,” a 2026 dark comedy thriller directed by Cathy Yan. She will play a gallery owner involved in a crime at Art Basel Miami, with co-stars Natalie Portman and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The ongoing discourse around Jenna Ortega on AI highlights the evolving relationship between technology, artists, and the audiences that consume their work, especially during major events like the Marrakech Film Festival.
