Venice Film Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera has spoken about the key issues dominating this year's event, including the growing use of artificial intelligence in filmmaking, the politically sensitive scheduling of Gaza-related films, and the festival's stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict. In a wide-ranging interview, Barbera acknowledged that AI is set to transform cinema much as the digital revolution did in the late 1990s, while also addressing criticism over why hard-hitting political documentaries have been scheduled late in the festival, after much of the international press has departed.

Barbera confirmed that an AI-generated documentary features in official selection for the first time and predicted more such films in future years, comparing the shift to the digital revolution of the 1990s but suggesting AI's impact will be even greater. He defended the decision to screen the Gaza documentary NAZA near the end of the festival, saying he wanted to avoid politics overshadowing other films, and noted the Russian film DAU was delayed mainly due to its length. He also addressed the Venice4Palestine campaign's request to fly a Palestinian flag, explaining that Italian government protocol prevents this because Italy does not recognise the Palestinian state, calling this "a shame."