Jenna Ortega Slams ‘Soulless’ AI at Film Festival, Warns of Hollywood’s Dangerous Path

Jenna Ortega did not hold back while discussing Hollywood’s controversial AI boom and her fears the industry may be barreling into dangerous territory.

While serving as the youngest jury member in the history of the Marrakech Film Festival, the Wednesday star, 23, delivered a striking warning about artificial intelligence. 

‘There is really charm in the human condition… as humans, we have a tendency to always, when you look back at history, take things too far. It’s very easy to be terrified. I know I am in times like this of deep uncertainty. And it kind of feels like we’ve opened up a Pandora’s Box,’ she said, per Deadline.

Ortega argued that AI simply cannot replicate the beautiful imperfections that make human creativity resonate.

‘There’s certain things that AI just isn’t able to replicate, and yes, there’s beautiful, difficult mistakes, and a computer can’t do that. A computer has no soul, and it’s nothing that we would ever be able to resonate with or relate to,’ she continued.

The actress went even further, imagining a future where audiences become exhausted by AI-generated content and crave a return to raw, human storytelling.

‘I don’t want to assume for the audience, but I would hope it gets to a point where it becomes some sort of mental junk food, AI and looking at the screen, and then suddenly we all feel sick, and we don’t know why, and then that one independent filmmaker in their backyard comes out with something, and it releases this new excitement again.’

Last year, Ortega weighed in on the downsides of AI on an episode of The Interview podcast with The New York Times as she recalled seeing fake, sexually explicit images of herself as a minor on multiple social media platform.

‘I hate AI,’ she stated. ‘… Did I like being 14 [years old] and making a Twitter account because I was supposed to, and seeing dirty edited content of me as a child? No. It’s terrifying. It’s corrupt.’

She continued: ‘It’s wrong. It’s disgusting.’ 

Still, she acknowledged the good AI has done ‘incredible things’ like ‘detect breast cancer’ before its progression.

‘That’s beautiful … Let’s keep it to that,’ she told listeners. ‘I would like [AI] to be used with good intent, but we could say that about anything and everything.’

Ortega also insisted that social media can be a dangerous place for children as she looked back on receiving ‘an unsolicited photo of a man’s genitals’ age age 12.

‘One of the first actually, the first DM that I ever opened myself when I was 12 was an unsolicited photo of a man’s genitals, and that was just the beginning of what was to come,’ she said.

The Disney Channel alum explained that after years of seeing fake photos of herself and receiving explicit images of others, she has a tendency to stay off social media.

‘I ended up deleting [some of her social media accounts] about two, three years ago because the influx, after [Wednesday] had come out, of these absurd images and photos,’ she revealed.

Ortega added: ‘They’re just so repulsive, and I already was in a confused state that I just deleted it because it was unnecessary, and I didn’t need that.’

Ortega explained that she was encouraged to keep her accounts to ‘build’ her ‘image’ but the explicit images prompted her to delete X (previously known as Twitter).

‘I would make political statements or, just personal ones or just talk about excitement for jobs, and then I was greeted with this stuff. And it was just disgusting, and it made me feel bad. It made me feel uncomfortable,’ she said. ‘It’s awful. … So one day, I just woke up and I thought, “Oh, I don’t need this anymore.” So I dropped it.’

When asked if she is still in the process of learning how to ‘protect’ herself, Ortega said she was ‘still’ working on it.

In 2023, Ortega broke down in tears while detailing her struggles to show her authentic self on social media during a vulnerable chat with Elle Fanning during Variety’s Actors on Actors series. 

As the women chatted about navigating childhood stardom, early adulthood and past toxic workplace dynamics, the star revealed that her relationship with Instagram can get ‘ugly.’

Ortega, who got her first big break after landing the role of Harley Diaz on the Disney Channel series Stuck in the Middle, began to cry as she discussed how her ‘sarcastic’ and ‘dry’ sense of humor makes it ‘very easy’ for her to get herself ‘in trouble.’

‘I want people to be able to get to know the people behind the camera and realize that people should never be put on a pedestal,’ the performer explained. ‘And the more I’ve been exposed to the world, people prey on that and take advantage of that. They see your vulnerability and twist it in a way that you don’t always expect.’

At this point, Ortega began to get choked up, as she reflected on how ‘strange’ it is trying to be ‘honest without jeopardizing your own health and safety.’

‘It’s very easy to feel almost out of control,’ the Golden Globe nominee, who has 40.6 million Instagram followers, admitted.

Fanning replied: ‘You have to protect yourself, and also just know when to put it away and know it doesn’t matter. That’s not the real world.’

‘I still have this really intense urge to be human and honest and authentic,’ Ortega said, before noting how ‘gross’ it makes her feel to be told to ‘smile’ or have ‘more energy.’

She concluded: ‘I don’t want to feel gross. I would rather people see me cry and do whatever than be something I’m not.’

The Palm Desert native divulged that even after shooting Wednesday, when auditioning there was still hesitation over casting her because people didn’t know if she had ‘enough of a name.’

‘Social media, what it does to anyone our age, it’s such a comparing game. It influences bandwagon mentality. It’s very manipulative. After the show, I’m really nervous to post or even say anything on there or even be myself.’

Ortega also reflected on her media training at Disney, where she was told to ‘post three times a day’ to ‘build followers’ and engage with fans to ‘promote’ her show.