AI-Directed Film 'The Sweet Idleness' Debuts, Heralding New Cinema Era Amid Industry Debate

Italian producer Andrea Iervolino has announced "The Sweet Idleness," which he claims is the first film directed entirely by an artificial intelligence named FellinAI. The film is set in 2135 and explores a future where automation has replaced most human labor, with only 1% of people working in symbolic roles while machines provide leisure for the rest. Iervolino describes his role as "Human-on-the-Loop," supervising and guiding the AI director to maintain creative and production consistency. The project aims to honor the poetic and surreal style of great European cinema and redefines traditional film industry roles. The cast combines performances from real actors and AI-generated digital humans, who will continue interacting as characters beyond the film. This announcement arrives amid ongoing industry debate and backlash over AI's role in entertainment, highlighted recently by controversy over AI-generated actress Tilly Norwood.