Artificial intelligence in the work and view of Latin American filmmakers: insights from a qualitative interview study

Abstract Previous research on the representation of artificial intelligence (AI) in science fiction (SF) film has largely focused on the Global North. Little is known about how filmmakers from the Souths envision and portray AI and how their creative processes and outputs relate to specific conditions of film production, socio-political realities, and global power imbalances, as well as personal experiences and attitudes toward AI. This paper aims to address this gap by presenting the findings of an exploratory interview study with Latin American filmmakers who have dealt with AI in their films. The qualitative text analysis of 10 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 11 participants from 6 countries reveals that their cinematic visions of AI differ significantly from those prevalent in Western SF: The Latin American filmmakers predominantly associate AI with social control, surveillance, labor exploitation, data colonialism, and the abuse of power by (authoritarian) governments or powerful tech corporations—issues that decolonial scholars have emphasized in their critiques of AI. However, the participants’ visions are not primarily inspired by these academic debates but by their lived experiences. The filmmakers’ strong engagement with everyday life and socio-political conditions, rather than distant or unattainable technological scenarios, can, thus, be considered a distinctive feature of the Latin American approach. This is further reflected in their use of particular esthetic concepts and strategies, such as retrofuturism, which enable them to navigate budgetary constraints and other structural inequalities that limit their visibility and their potential to actively shape technological visions and futures through film.