Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age showrunners confirm there’s no AI on screen – ‘mother nature is a better creator than any AI’

1. Streaming
2. Apple TV +

Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age showrunners confirm there’s no AI on screen – ‘mother nature is a better creator than any AI’ Features By Jasmine Valentine published 27 November 2025

Though these creatures are both artificial and intelligent

Comments (0) ()

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

No AI was used in creating these Woolly Mammoths... it's all CGI and puppetry. (Image credit: Apple TV)

Listen, it's no surprise to anybody that 99.9% of the creatures alive during Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age aren't kicking about anymore.

Even though the creators of the Apple TV show had a much more modern frame of reference to work with (you'll see rhinos, sloths and monkeys, for example), everything you see had to be created from scratch.

• Amazon Black Friday deals are live: here are our picks!

We've jumped roughly 133 million years forward in time since season 2 hit our screens, and that means the Ice Age wildlife looks a lot more like ours. Gone are the days of the dinosaur in favor of... well... a lot of giant versions of the animals we have now.

You may like

• The 2025 Reply Film Festival showed me what AI cinema looks like – and it’s not a gimmick
• AI actress Tilly Norwood creator claims we should ‘judge her by merit,’ but my mind is already made up
• I write about AI for a living – and I can’t see Pluribus as anything but a scathing examination of our relationship with it

At the same time, legends like the Woolly Mammoth became extinct, and that's something we can't witness again on our own. Luckily enough, the Prehistoric Planet team has put their blood, sweat and tears into painstaking recreations of our blasts from the past.

This time around, though, I had a new question about what I was watching. Was any of Apple TV's Ice Age made using AI? It's a topic that continues to divide our industry, with key figures deciding that now is the time to stand for (Disney CEO Bob Iger) or against (Frankenstein director Guillermo Del Toro) its use in our field.

For executive producer Mike Gunton and showrunner Matthew Thompson, the answer is obvious – and it all comes down to the show's "authenticity".

Today's best Apple TV (Subscription) dealsApple TV Monthly SG$13.98/mthViewat Apple TV

Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age was a ‘labor of love’ for its creators

Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age — Season 3 Official Trailer | Apple TV - YouTube Watch On

"We certainly didn't use AI in the way that people might think," Thompson says. "There's probably a few minor tools in the background that were being used to make certain processes more efficient, but there is no AI on screen. And I think what frames all would say is the work we're doing is so unique.

Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox

Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

"We're creating creatures that have never been realized before, and we're creating situations that have never been put on screen. So you could never use AI to create what we've created, because those things aren't there to train them on. I think what we've managed to achieve could not, in any way, have been achieved by AI.

"It's just been an absolute incredible labor of love for 1000 people across the world to create these effects."

Gunton adds: "The thing about working VFX is, of course, you can put a camera anywhere, theoretically. But what we did was very rigorously decide to only put a camera in our world where you can really put a camera as you would if you're making a wildlife show. You get discontinuity, slight loss of focus, and interesting little camera developments which bring you into the emotional drama of the animals. That is something that would not possible if you just let yourself go crazy in the VFX world.

You may like

• The 2025 Reply Film Festival showed me what AI cinema looks like – and it’s not a gimmick
• AI actress Tilly Norwood creator claims we should ‘judge her by merit,’ but my mind is already made up
• I write about AI for a living – and I can’t see Pluribus as anything but a scathing examination of our relationship with it

"We have gone around the world shooting our locations and our animals play out their dramas within those real environments, and that's for a number of reasons. One, it adds to that authenticity, but also Mother Nature is still a better creator environments than any AI. It's subtle, but it's absolutely there. You feel the authenticity of it. And really, that's all what we're about."

For some, this will be a sigh of relief. Regardless, it's an absolute feat of on-screen VFX.

Apple TV 6-month subscription: was $12.99 per month now $5.99 at Apple Apple has rolled out the best Black Friday streaming deal I've found yet – you can get Apple TV (formerly Apple TV+) for just $5.99 a month for six months right now. Considering it's regularly $12.99 a month, that's over 50% off and gives you instant access to a wide library of original shows and movies like Severance, Ted Lasso, The Morning Show, and later in December, F1 the movie. Best of all, new and select returning subscribers are eligible for the deal before it expires on December 1.

View Deal

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.

Jasmine ValentineSocial Links NavigationStreaming Staff Writer

Jasmine is a Streaming Staff Writer for TechRadar, previously writing for outlets including Radio Times, Yahoo! and Stylist. She specialises in comfort TV shows and movies, ranging from Hallmark's latest tearjerker to Netflix's Virgin River. She's also the person who wrote an obituary for George Cooper Sr. during Young Sheldon Season 7 and still can't watch the funeral episode.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Logout Read more The 2025 Reply Film Festival showed me what AI cinema looks like – and it’s not a gimmick    AI actress Tilly Norwood creator claims we should ‘judge her by merit,’ but my mind is already made up    I write about AI for a living – and I can’t see Pluribus as anything but a scathing examination of our relationship with it    This new OpenAI-backed movie has a budget of just $30 million, but will it prove AI can make movies Hollywood can’t?    Science fiction sold us “good” AI – now it’s shaping how we treat real AI    Tilly Norwood is no more an actress than ChatGPT is a person, and I'm tired of people getting this wrong    Latest in Apple TV + Pluribus episode 5 ending explained: what did Carol see?    What is the release date for Pluribus episode 5 on Apple TV?    Pluribus episode 4 introduces us to a mysterious new character – and I think they're key to solving the Apple TV show's big riddle    What is the release date for Pluribus episode 4 on Apple TV?    Apple TV is getting a great free MLS upgrade for sports fans    What is the release date for Pluribus episode 3 on Apple TV?    Latest in Features ChatGPT vs Gemini vs Perplexity: Which AI is your smartest shopper?    What protocols does Norton VPN offer? Mimic and more explained    We tested the malware blocking capabilities of your favorite VPNs – here’s the best that you can save on right now    What to stream after new A24 movie Eternity, according to its director    Is ChatGPT's new shopping tool the AI personal shopper I've always wanted?    Gemini 3's Nano Banana Pro photo editing is amazing    LATEST ARTICLES

1. 1EU clamps down on online fraud and hidden fees affecting online payment platforms
2. 2Europe wants to ban social media for under 16s – here's all we know
3. 3ChatGPT vs Gemini vs Perplexity: Which AI is your smartest Black Friday shopper?
4. 4The Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller is now supported on Steam
5. 5Asahi confirms cyberattack leaked data on 1.5 million customers