Director Carlos Gutiérrez Medrano analyzed how AI is redefining the film industry without replacing the human essence.
In this 41st edition ofInternational Film Festival in Guadalajara (FICG)The debate on technology applied to art took center stage in the panel“Who is the author in the age of artificial intelligence?”, in which Carlos Gutiérrez Medrano, director of the animated filmDay of the DeadModerated by David Martos, the discussion offered a profound insight into how this tool does not replace creativity, but rather deeply redefines the processes, trades, and ethics of audiovisual creation.
Gutiérrez Medrano emphasized that The industry is transitioning from purely reactive AI to models that appear to make their own decisions.However, he defended the fundamental importance of the “human-in-the-loop” concept, where a human eye oversees every technical and creative change. A practical example presented was the use of AI to modify elements in post-production, such as changing a bottle for advertising through “smart product placement,” where the director supervises and approves each insertion as a creative decision.
In sectors such as animation and horror films, AI already allows the design of complex creatures with physical and narrative coherence using tools such asmidjourney ystable diffusionHowever, he warned that to avoid legal problems and protect intellectual property, it is vital to know how to “communicate” with AI using clear technical specifications, and to keep a detailed log of the entire process.
The panelist stressed the importance of not using protected terms such as trademarks in theprompts, in order to ensure that authorship remains in the hands of the human creator.
AI fragments and redistributes authorship among those who conceive the initial idea, those who oversee the curation, and those who train the system with data. While this significantly reduces filmmaking costs and allows anyone with technical knowledge to assume the role of director, Gutiérrez Medrano pointed out that Machines are not yet capable of generating genuine emotionsThe authenticity of a work still depends on the sensitivity of the human behind the tool and their ability to feed the system without the inherent biases of the technology.
The panel also explored The potential of AI for restoring films whose rights have expired, allowing film heritage to be kept aliveIn response to a question from the audience <a href="https://cinemamix360.com/2026/09/11/adam-wingard-speaks-about-the-downside-of-low/” title=”Adam Wingard speaks about the downside of low”>about the inclusion of new categories in the festival, it was suggested that FICG could integrate short films made with AI in future editions, adapting to changing markets.
Finally, it was mentioned that in the Mexican film industry, AI could help eliminate intermediaries in exhibition, offering a new perspective on the challenges of support and space faced by national cinema.
The best way to summarize this panel is with a phrase that Gutiérrez Medrano himself presented in one of his slides to close his talk, “Artificial intelligence does not automatically replace human creativityBut it does profoundly redefine the processes, the trades, authorship, legislation, and ethics of audiovisual creation.”
Attentively
“Piensa y Trabaja”
“40 Years of the Guadalajara International Book Fair”
Guadalajara, Jalisco, April 24, 2026
Text: Seiler García | Gazette UdeG
Photography: Marcos Moisés Gómez Alcaraz
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