Is New Frankenstein Film an AI Cautionary Tale? Del Toro Says No

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“It’s not intended as a metaphor for that,” del Toro clarified at a press conference for the film at the Venice Film Festival via Variety. “We live in a time of terror and intimidation, certainly. And there’s no more urgent task than to remain, in a time where everything is pushing towards a bipolar, understanding of our humanity. The movie tries to show imperfect characters and the right we have to remain imperfect, and the right we have to understand each other under the most oppressive circumstances.”

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Del Toro went on to explain that his take on Frankenstein is more a complex, layered albeit wholly unconventional family drama. Isaac seemed to second that notion when he shared an anecdote about he became involved with the film, “I can’t believe that I’m here right now. I can’t believe we got to this place from two years ago, sitting at [del Toro’s] table eating Cuban pork and talking about our fathers and our lives, to him saying, ‘I want you to be Victor.’”

The Frankenstein Metaphor is Unmissable, Despite del Toro’s Claims

Though del Toro may maintain that his Frankenstein isn’t about artificial intelligence (“I’m not afraid of artificial intelligence. I’m afraid of natural stupidity,” he cracked during the press conference), the filmmaker’s lush adaptation of Shelley’s novel will likely serve as a chilling metaphor for the rapidly advancing technology nonetheless. Victor Frankenstein’s use, or perhaps misuse, of science to achieve his means feels all too relevant as we witness tech giants invest more and more into AI, seemingly to blatantly ignore the stunning environmental cost the technology takes along with the reports of AI-induced psychosis that have begun to emerge. Frankenstein is ultimately a tale of unchecked hubris, and it’s hard not to graph it onto the world around us.

Though a filmmaker’s intentions are, of course, valid, ultimately, we’ll have to wait and see for what audiences see and take away from the film when it debuts next month. Frankenstein will have a limited three-week run in theaters starting October 17th before hitting Netflix on November 7th.