Danny Boyle Confirms AI Was Used in Ink and Reveals Exactly What It Created

Danny Boyle has confirmed that generative AI was used in his new film Ink, with around 30 seconds of the finished movie involving the technology. The director has now explained what AI helped create and why he believes it can have a place in filmmaking when used responsibly.

AI was used to animate old photographs

Boyle revealed that generative AI was used to animate a couple of old photographs featured in Ink. Viewers had already questioned whether AI was behind the movement seen in archive imagery involving figures including the Kray twins and former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, although Boyle did not specifically identify every photograph that received the treatment.

AI was also used to create mice running around The Sun newsroom. Boyle explained that he sees the technology as particularly useful when animals are required on screen, rather than automatically relying on real animals during production.

His approach has partly been shaped by his earlier experiences. Boyle previously faced criticism from PETA over the use of real chimpanzees while making 28 Days Later, and has since tried to avoid using real animals where possible.

Boyle says AI can be useful if handled properly

Boyle has taken a measured position on the growing use of AI across film and television. Rather than rejecting the technology completely, he believes it can be a useful tool provided it is used respectfully and performers are properly paid if AI is being used to replace them in some form.

That distinction is becoming increasingly important as generative AI moves further into mainstream entertainment. In Ink, the technology appears to have been used for specific visual moments rather than to create actors, performances or large sections of the film.

Boyle has also raised concerns about AI in other industries, particularly journalism. He has questioned what could happen if technology companies were able to replace journalists with cheaper AI systems and whether those systems would still challenge the organisations responsible for creating them.

What is Ink about?

Ink explores the transformation of The Sun newspaper after Rupert Murdoch bought it in 1969, and its battle with the Daily Mirror as British tabloid journalism rapidly evolved. Guy Pearce stars as Murdoch, while Jack O'Connell plays Larry Lamb, the editor brought in to run the newspaper.

Claire Foy also stars as Jules Davies, Lamb's wife. The film is based on James Graham's stage play, with Graham adapting his own work for the screen.

The revelation that only around 30 seconds of Ink involved generative AI offers an interesting glimpse at how the technology is already finding its way into conventional filmmaking. Rather than replacing the production process, Boyle's use of AI shows how it can sit alongside traditional filmmaking techniques for very specific shots.

Watch the official trailer here:

Ink will be released in UK and Irish cinemas on 8 January 2027. Netflix has confirmed the film will also begin streaming in the US and Latin America on the same date, but a UK Netflix release has not been announced

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