Pixar cofounder Ed Catmull, 81, has some career advice for anyone worried about AI.
In an interview Tuesday with Higgsfield AI CEO Alex Mashrabov, Catmull shared the mindset he believes creatives will need as technology reinvents the industry.
“The main advice is that, in addition to learning about the craft, it happens whether you like it or not, and the best course of action is to be fully involved,” Catmull said. “And we’re involved in learning the craft, adding it, working with tool makers and artists and making it what it is.”
Catmull says that when filmmakers experience the limitations of AI, that frustration can point the way to the next breakthrough because someone will come up with a solution.
“That’s how we move forward,” he said.
In 1979, Catmull joined Lucasfilm to lead its computer division, which developed technology for the film industry. In 1986, Steve Jobs bought the division and it became an independent company, Pixar, with Catmull as co-founder and president.
After spending his career at the forefront of computer animation, Catmull said that major technological changes are always two-sided: They can create new possibilities while also bringing new problems.
“We will have the same thing here without a doubt,” he said. “But it will be adapted because I know that there are legitimate filmmakers who accept the fact that if you are involved with the technology as it develops, you will help create it.”
Catmull compares it to the rise of the internet and social media.
“When the internet first came out, the term you heard would be the democratization of information. It’s true. It’s also the democratization of disinformation,” he said.
Catmull says it’s just “animal nature”, and he expects AI to be no different.
“Our question is: Where are we on the side? Where are we, in terms of engaging, developing, and moving to something really useful?” said.
Catmull’s advice comes as workers are struggling with whether using AI will help them stay competitive or put their jobs at greater risk.
Business Insider has previously reported that some workers are worried they are training their own replacements, though workplace analysts say the technology is more likely to replace and support many roles than eliminate them all — at least for now.
There are also concerns about AI deskilling, where overreliance on AI could damage problem-solving and judgment skills for early-career employees.