Canadian director Robert Vince

Director Robert Vince.. AI will not replace animals in acting

Canadian director Robert Fiennes confirmed in an interview with Agence France-Presse about his experience filming the final part of the “Air Pad” series about a friendship between a boy and a dog that artificial intelligence does not compensate for the “magical moments” generated by the interaction between animals and actors in cinema.

The director, who has more than ten cinematic productions to his credit, revealed that during the filming of the new part of the American series about the sporting achievements of a golden retriever, he expressed his admiration for the acting talents of the dog, Roscoe. He said that the dog quickly showed signs of anxiety in front of two actors who were crying.

The first part of the “Air Bad” film series, which was released in American theaters in 1997, was a great success in the United States. This family comedy, which centers on a friendship between a boy and a talented basketball dog, has been printed and produced four parts for entire generations. It is expected that the new part, “Air Pad Returns,” will be released in 2027.

In Las Vegas, where the dog Roscoe, who played Buddy in the film, was happily posing alongside fans who waited for long hours to take pictures with him on the sidelines of the Cinema Con festival, Robert Vince told AFP, “Do you see the joy that a dog brings to humans?”

The 64-year-old filmmaker acknowledged that artificial intelligence arouses great enthusiasm with its capabilities, as is the case with every new technology. But he considered that productions that resorted to him to breed animals would not achieve much.

“I remember the period when special effects emerged and everyone expected a lot of them,” he noted. The secret of the films' success lies in "the emotional bonds between the actors," according to Vince, who refused to resort to special effects in the film even though he owns a company in this field.

He stressed that innovations in cinema should be used to “enrich history” and not to replace humans or animals in acting. The bodies supervising the Oscars and Golden Globes have banned the nomination of actors generated by artificial intelligence.