Tom Cruise Earns a Six-Minute Standing Ovation With Passionate Speech on Why AI Won’t Replace Movies

Tom Cruise received spontaneous applause at a BAFTA event in London after delivering an emotional speech lasting more than six minutes about the power of art and human craftsmanship amid the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, Deadline reports.

Speaking at BAFTA: Life in Pictures, where the actor reflected on his decades-long film career, Cruise was asked how artificial intelligence could transform the industry to which he has devoted his life.

In response, the star of Top Gun and Mission: Impossible launched into a lengthy monologue about the importance of human craftsmanship in filmmaking and the unique power of experiencing movies on the big screen.

“There’s nothing more important than the human being,” Cruise began, explaining why he has been such a vocal advocate for preserving movie theaters and the traditional theatrical experience. According to the actor, cinemas are fundamentally about bringing people together and creating a shared experience for audiences.

“I have nothing against streaming or anything like that,” he continued, emphasizing that watching a movie in a theater is simply “a different form of art.”

Cruise also pointed to the results of this year’s summer movie season as evidence. From May 1 through Labor Day in the United States, the domestic box office generated $4.76 billion, setting an all-time record for the summer season.

For Cruise, those numbers were another indication that audiences still want to see stories created by people and experience genuine human craftsmanship.

“People want to have that experience. They’re going to the movies,” the actor said.

“I always believe in humanity,” he added.

Although many of Cruise’s points had already been made in previous appearances, he spoke with such passion that the usually restrained BAFTA audience applauded him several times.

Cruise stressed that he does not want the film industry to lose the professionals who have devoted their entire careers to making movies.

He also noted that audiences want to see something real on screen.

“People want to see real things,” Cruise declared.

Toward the end of his speech, the actor acknowledged that the development of artificial intelligence is inevitable and that the film industry will have to contend with it. However, he believes that this should not stop artists from creating.

“In the face of AI, we have to keep creating,” Cruise emphasized.

“You know, it’s coming, and it’s going to happen. But people want to see real things,” the actor concluded.

Tom Cruise has spoken about artificial intelligence on numerous occasions. In 2023, during the SAG-AFTRA union negotiations, the actor advocated for protecting entertainment-industry workers as the technology developed. Since then, he has repeatedly stressed the importance of human involvement in filmmaking.