Artificial intelligence is one of the biggest talking points in the entertainment industry. The use of AI in film and television is a controversial topic, with Hollywood divided between those for and those against using the technology in creative endeavors. Now, a powerful industry figure has opened up about her feelings on the matter: Jenna Ortega.
After enjoying a prolific career as a child actor, Ortega (arguably) burst into the spotlight playing Wednesday Addams in the Netflix series. Wednesday series, which was a major success for the streamer. Ortega was a juror at the Marrakech Film Festival. During a jury press conference, which took place on November 29, the topic of artificial intelligence in entertainment was raised (via Variety). The actress delivered an insightful point of view on the subject.
Jenna Ortega speaks out on the dangers of AI in cinema:
“I hope it gets to a point where it becomes mental junk food and we see it on screen and we feel sick without knowing why. I think, as terrible as that is to say, sometimes the audience needs to be deprived of something to… pic.twitter.com/mdAIWqlRxO
– Variety (@Variété) November 29, 2025
Confessing that she was “terrified” by the change brought about by technology, the Wednesday The star compared AI to opening Pandora’s box:
“There is, oddly, a charm in the human condition and also, as we, as humans, tend to… when we look at our history, we always take things too far, and I think it’s very easy to be terrified – I know I am – in times like this, of deep uncertainty. And it’s a bit like we’ve opened Pandora’s box, in a way.”
One of the main points of contention regarding artificial intelligence is the loss of work for artists. With multiple mass layoffs already underway across different sectors, including entertainment, the situation has put considerable pressure on creatives. Ortega believes that such concerns have the power to push artists to raise their voices louder and be bold in their creativity:
“[We] We were talking about it a little yesterday, as a group. […] About how, IIn these difficult and confusing times, this often pushes the artist to express themselves more, to do more. So that there is this new awakening and passion and protection, and I want to assume and hope that that is the case. But there are some things that AI just isn’t capable of replicating. And yes, there is “beautiful” in difficulty, and there is “beautiful” in errors, and a computer cannot do that. A computer has no soul, and it’s nothing we can ever resonate with or identify with.”
THE Wednesday The star seems to envision a long-term shift in the industry, from people so accustomed to AI content that they end up craving human creativity:
“I don’t want to presume for the audience, but I hope it gets to a point where it becomes a kind of mental junk food – AI – and looking at the screen, all of a sudden we all feel sick, and we don’t know why. And then this independent filmmaker in his backyard maybe releases something, and it releases this new excitement again.”
The actress then concluded with: “I think sometimes, as terrible as it sounds, sometimes audiences need to be deprived of something in order to enjoy something again.”
Ortega offers a perspective worth examining given its plausibility. She knows that technology is here to stay. It also highlights the very real possibility that artists will be forced to evolve in order for their work to stand out, thereby propelling them to new creative heights.
It’s a difficult scenario, one that still places artists – who struggled to make a living in their chosen fields even before artificial intelligence – in an all-too-familiar survival position. Yet even if this is a potential outcome, as Ortega said, it is unlikely that human creativity will be left behind. It’s possible that once the dust settles on AI as a hot new technology, people will crave a human touch in the arts.
While artificial intelligence will surely continue to evolve, things may reach a point where audiences feel somewhat disconnected from the machine-created entertainment they consume, whether on social media (where AI-produced videos are a hot commodity) or in movies and television. Assuming this is where things evolve, this disconnect may become the spark that encourages people to once again seek out human-made content to consume.
Jenna Ortega can be seen on Wednesdaystreaming on Netflix.
What did you think of Jenna Ortega’s thoughts on AI? Leave your thoughts in the comments!
