Ali Al-Kultami: artificial intelligence “a tool without purpose” and legislation coming to protect the Saudi creative economy

Saudi director Ali Al-Kultami does not fear technology itself; he has lived through the shift from radio to the internet and from analog cameras to digital filming, but he draws a clear line: tools should serve the human spirit, not replace it. In an interview with Al-Sharq Al-Awsat published in Arab News, Al-Kultami called for legislation to protect the cultural sector and the creative economy from films generated entirely by artificial intelligence for the purpose of lowering costs and excluding humans.

Technology changes, fundamentals stay constant

“Technology changes, and you must keep up with the times, but the fundamentals remain the same,” says Al-Kultami. The idea, the story, and the connection with the audience, these three stay at the core of the craft no matter how advanced the algorithms become. There is no ready-made recipe for creativity, and more advanced cameras or better lighting do not create a creative work. In his view, creativity is the result of years of brainstorming, research and writing, and ideas undergo a complex process of exploration and experimentation before taking their final shape.

No shortcuts in writing

The director explains that a writer often finds themselves on unfamiliar ground, where exhaustive research can enrich the text, yet the process regularly stalls. “Sometimes I hit a wall while writing, and I keep going, because I do not believe in rushing writing or filming.” In his view, the goal is for the work to reach the audience and leave a genuine impact; if that happens, it is success.

Saudi Arabia first, then the world

Al-Kultami stresses the importance of telling stories that reflect Saudi society and its reality. Filmmakers in the kingdom, in his view, should first address their local audience: “What matters most is to tell a story for the people here, for our Saudi colleagues. If the story touches them and reaches them, we have achieved our goal.” When a work succeeds locally, it will attract viewers outside the kingdom because they want to know how Saudis live and speak, and what their relationships and values are like. Authenticity, in his opinion, is what allows a film to cross borders: “People connect with you when they see something genuine that comes from a purely local place, and that is how the work travels abroad.”

A tool, not a goal

Al-Kultami sees the field moving so fast that any fixed view of it is short-lived. “Artificial intelligence and its technologies evolve by the second. Any idea you form about it today will change tomorrow. For me, it is a tool, not a goal.” Fears of replacing humans with AI are not new; they are comparable to what accompanied the emergence of the internet, radio and mobile phones. “Whoever understands how it works and employs it to serve the human spirit will endure. Placing barriers and being completely afraid of it will not be the answer.”

Red line: commercially generated films

The director draws a line at long-form AI-generated narrative films prepared for commercial release, when the goal is merely to replace humans and cut costs, warning that this could harm workers in the sector. “Legislation is needed to regulate this. It has already started in Europe and the United States, and I believe it is coming to the Arab world and Saudi Arabia as well.” The stated aim: to protect the cultural sector and the creative economy and support their healthy growth.

His own use: early experiments before filming

Al-Kultami does not reject technology; he employs it in the development stage to test ideas and explore visual concepts before filming begins. “I use artificial intelligence in early experiments before producing a work. I can see the ideas in my head and evaluate them, and identify technical problems I may face before I start shooting.”

What this means for the sector in the region

The position expressed by one of the leading Saudi filmmakers sets the upcoming discussion framework: it is not a rejection of technology, but a demand for regulation that ensures the local creative economy, supported by major cultural initiatives and sovereign fund investment, is not wasted in an automated cost-cutting race. Consultation on legislation in Europe and the United States precedes us by months, and the region faces a narrow window to craft its own frameworks before imported models are imposed. For the writer, the producer, the actor, and the institutions building the infrastructure of Saudi cinema, the issue is not technological but a sovereign decision that determines who holds the right to tell the Saudi story and with which tools.