MARRAKECH, Morocco, Nov. 29: Actress Jenna Ortega on Saturday cautioned against the uncertainties of artificial intelligence (AI) in filmmaking, describing its rise as a “Pandora’s box” while emphasizing that certain human qualities remain beyond its reach.

Speaking at a jury press conference during the 22nd Marrakech International Film Festival, where she serves alongside Oscar-winning director Bong Joon Ho, Ortega said, “We just always take things too far, and I think it’s very easy to be terrified — I know I am — of deep uncertainty. With AI, it kind of feels like we’ve opened Pandora’s box in a way.”

The “Wednesday” star, who is part of a jury chaired by Bong, suggested AI might spur a new artistic awakening. “In these difficult and confusing times, oftentimes it pushes the artist to speak out more, to do more, for there to be this new awakening and passion and protection, and I want to assume and hope that that’s the case,” Ortega said. “But there’s certain things that AI just isn’t able to replicate. There’s beauty in difficulty, and there’s beauty in mistakes, and a computer can’t do that. A computer has no soul.”

She also cautioned about audiences becoming overly reliant on AI-generated content, describing it as “mental junk food.” Ortega added, “Sometimes audiences need to be deprived of something in order to appreciate something again.”

Bong Joon Ho shared Ortega’s cautious view, acknowledging AI’s potential but underscoring human uniqueness. “It’s the very beginning of the human race finally seriously thinking about what only humans can do,” he said. With a laugh, he added, “My personal answer is I’m going to organize a military squad where their mission is to destroy AI all over the world.”

Other jury members, including “Furiosa” lead Anya Taylor-Joy, filmmakers Celine Song and Julia Ducournau, Brazilian director Karim Aïnouz, Moroccan filmmaker Hakim Belabbes, and Iranian-American actor-director Payman Maadi, also shared perspectives on AI. Song strongly criticized AI, quoting Guillermo del Toro, saying it is “completely destroying our planet” and “colonizing our mind and the way that we encounter images, the way we encounter sound.” She added, “I’m very concerned about it because I think that the No. 1 thing that we’re here to defend as artists is humanity. It’s trying to encroach on what makes our lives very beautiful and very hard and what makes life worth doing… Deeply and not very respectfully, fuck AI.”

Taylor-Joy, asked about judging performances at the festival, emphasized the value of listening. “We live in a world where there’s a lot of premium placed on how loud you can be. If you can out scream somebody else, what your argument is, you’re taught to have an opinion more than you’re taught to have critical thinking. I believe that in silence, even if it is uncomfortable at the beginning, it just teaches you to be a much better listener,” she said.

The Marrakech Film Festival, running through Dec. 6, opened Friday with Gus Van Sant’s “Dead Man’s Wire” and features tributes to Jodie Foster and Guillermo del Toro, alongside screenings of “A Private Life,” “Frankenstein,” Chloe Zhao’s “Hamnet,” Maryam Touzani’s “Calle Málaga,” and “Palestine 36.” Its official competition includes 14 first- or second-time international filmmakers, highlighting emerging talent from around the world.