Guillermo del Toro surprises at Times Square Pan’s Labyrinth 20th anniversary
Guillermo del Toro made a surprise appearance at a Times Square screening of Pan’s Labyrinth’s 20th anniversary, where a cake bearing “No God Damn AI” highlighted his opposition to generative AI.
Guillermo del Toro showed up unannounced at a Times Square screening celebrating the 20th anniversary of Pan’s Labyrinth, where a cake emblazoned with “No God Damn AI” underscored his opposition to generative AI. The event signals his continued cultural relevance and his outspoken stance on emerging technology that could affect filmmakers.
Guillermo del Toro arrived without warning at a Times Square screening of his Oscar‑winning film Pan’s Labyrinth as the movie marked its 20th anniversary. The most striking detail of the night was a cake that read “No God Damn AI,” a direct reference to the director’s publicly stated refusal to use generative artificial intelligence in his work.
What we know
The anniversary showing took place over the weekend and coincided with del Toro’s birthday. New York’s “High Priestess of Punk,” Patti Smith, performed a rendition of “Happy Birthday” for the director in front of a delighted audience. A second cake, decorated with the number 20 and the words “Happy Birthday,” prompted del Toro to joke, “It says 20? I’m 62! I only look 20.”
“No God Damn AI”
The anti‑AI message on the cake reflects del Toro’s long‑standing stance against the technology. In previous interviews he has said he would “rather die” than incorporate generative AI into his ambitiously art‑directed movies.
During the event del Toro also spoke about his upcoming work. He confirmed that his next project will be a stop‑motion adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2015 novel The Buried Giant. In addition, he defended Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s new film Digger, dismissing a lukewarm review that advised viewers to wait for the HBO Max release as “petty” and praising the film’s scale, ambition, and cinematic complexity.
Sources
File photo: Kacy Bao / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0