cd /news/artificial-intelligence/tom-holland-speaks-out-on-ai-and-why… · home topics artificial-intelligence article
[ARTICLE · art-31886] src=variety.com ↗ pub= topic=artificial-intelligence verified=true sentiment=· neutral

Tom Holland Speaks Out on AI and Why Artists Are ‘Safe’: ‘Creativity Has to Do With the Human Experience’

Tom Holland said AI poses no threat to artists because creativity stems from human emotion and experience, which AI cannot replicate. The actor expressed confidence in artistic job security during an appearance on Spain's "El Hormiguero" talk show, adding to the ongoing Hollywood debate about AI's impact on creative industries.

read1 min views2 publishedJun 17, 2026

Tom Holland is sharing his thoughts on the hot-button topic of AI, and he’s not shy about explaining why it “doesn’t have a soul.”

“Creativity is safe from AI because creativity has to do with the human experience,” Holland said while appearing on Spain’s “El Hormiguero” talk show Wednesday alongside Zendaya. “It’s about emotions, it’s about understanding one another.”

“AI can sift through data, but it can’t understand people’s emotions. It doesn’t understand the difference between being happy and being sad,” Holland continued. “The way artists paint, it’s not about what they’re copying, it’s about expressing themselves. So I feel protected.”

Popular on Variety

Holland’s appearance on “El Hormiguero” comes as the star preps for a busy summer movie season. First, he will appear as Telemachus in Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated “The Odyssey,” set to release July 24. Then he will make his return to the Marvel universe with “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” set to release July 31. Zendaya also stars in both pictures.

Holland is among numerous actors and filmmakers speaking out about widespread concerns around AI and job security in Hollywood. On Monday night, “Frankenstein” director Guillermo del Toro sounded the alarm on the quickly developing technology, saying: “We are on the verge of image illiteracy. We are on the verge of cinema illiteracy.”

On the other hand, the likes of Reese Witherspoon and Sandra Bullock have spoken out in favor of trying to understand AI and implement it in everyday life, while Martin Scorsese has partnered with an AI company and says he will use its technology for storyboarding movies.

Holland was last seen in “The Crowded Room,” “Uncharted” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”

── more in #artificial-intelligence 4 stories · sorted by recency
── more on @tom holland 3 stories trending now
sponsored brought to you by zahid.host 4,200+ EU-deployed projects
reading about agents? ship yours in a single git push.

Run your AI side-project on zahid.host

EU-based hosting, git-push deploys, automatic HTTPS, no cold starts. Free tier with a custom domain — perfect for shipping the agent you just read about.

$git push zahid main
Live at https://your-agent.zahid.host
Get free account → Pricing
from €0/mo · no card required
LIVE [news/tom-holland-speaks-o…] indexed:0 read:1min 2026-06-17 ·