Grimes is making her feature film debut in Gods Don’t Give Gifts, a science-fiction movie made with artificial intelligence that opens in U.S. cinemas on December 4. The Canadian musician’s casting was confirmed on November 5, with her own voice driving an AI-generated version of her likeness on screen.
What We Know
Grimes plays Zayinth Alda, a “disenfranchised” aristocrat living on Niiro Cradle, a fictional world where bodies are disposable and human consciousness has been turned into a commodity. In one storyline, her character visits a dealer of “dreamspools” in the slums of East Cinder, according to Forbes.
The film was created by Zack London, the YouTuber known online as Gossip Goblin, together with the AI studio Fable. Fable CEO Edward Saatchi is producing. NME describes the project as an anthology of four stories exploring what happens when humanity tries to move beyond the physical body, and it is being promoted as the first fully AI-generated movie to get a theatrical release.
London summed up her contribution simply: “It’s her voice and likeness.” The financial terms of her participation have not been disclosed.
Background
For Grimes, the role fits a pattern. Few mainstream musicians have embraced AI as openly as she has. In 2023 she invited fans to create songs using an AI model of her voice and offered to split royalties on successful tracks, a move that put her at the centre of the debate over artists and generative tools while many peers were pushing back.
She has framed this film in the same optimistic terms. Speaking about AI and creativity, she said that when everyone has access to the same tools, “you get to see the actual talent really rise to the top.” She added: “If there’s ever a moment to have a feeling of purpose, I think it would be now.”
The timing is notable. Hollywood remains deeply divided over AI, and questions about digital replicas and consent were central to the 2023 actors’ strike. A recognisable pop star lending her face and voice to an AI feature gives the technology a visibility that experimental shorts and online clips have not had. Other artists who have been vocal about AI, including Billie Eilish, who signed a 2024 open letter from the Artist Rights Alliance calling for protections against AI misuse, have taken a far more cautious line on how musicians’ work is used.
Reactions
Saatchi has positioned the release as the start of something bigger. “We hope to make something that sets up a new aesthetic for animated films,” he said, according to NME. He also told Forbes that “the likenesses of people, driven by vocal performances by them, are going to be in a lot of movies.”
What’s Next
Gods Don’t Give Gifts arrives in U.S. theatres on December 4. The number of screens and the distribution partner have not been announced. Its box office and critical reception will be watched closely, both as a test of whether audiences will pay to see an AI-made film and as an early measure of how performers might license their likeness for this kind of work.
Grimes has not announced any further acting projects. For now, the film stands as a one-off experiment, and one that could shape how other artists respond to similar offers.
More film news: Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult tested for James Bond.
Sources
- NME – Grimes making film debut in AI-generated ‘Gods Don’t Give Gifts’
- Forbes (via Yahoo) – Grimes Joins AI Film ‘Gods Don’t Give Gifts’ Ahead of December 4 Release
- Variety – How Grimes’ Cameo in AI Film ‘Gods Don’t Give Gifts’ Came Together