Pakistan, May 30 -- Paul Schrader, the veteran filmmaker behind first Reformed, American Gigolo and The Card Counter, thinks the future of cinema belongs to synthetic performers like Tilly Norwood.

Speaking at Amazon's AI on the Lot event, the 79 year old director told attendees, "The real tip of the spear is when we can create an AI protagonist, not a hybrid. And that movie makes money."

Schrader argued audiences will eventually empathise with digital creations just as they do with human actors, noting that AI stars would be available "24 hours a day" and cost studios nothing.

He acknowledged skepticism from Amazon MGM Studios' head of AI, Albert Cheng, but insisted: "I think he's just afraid. I think it is going to happen." Schrader ...