M. Night Shyamalan
Director
Oscar-nominated director of “The Sixth Sense,” “Split,” and “Trap,” famous for twist endings. Hours after LeBron James signed with his beloved 76ers in July 2026, he posted an AI-generated image of himself and LeBron as knights — and weathered the fan backlash without taking it down.
Why this score
How the formula works →- +3.1proUses AI in their work
- +3.1proHas published AI-made work
- +1.5proUses AI casually
- +0.6pro1 pro-AI statement (measured)
Weights, statement counts, the ×1.25 multiplier for having a stake in an AI-impacted field, and the formula’s smoothing are already baked in — the points add up to the score: Strongly Pro-AI · 8.3/10
In his words
This experience with Canon has given me this weird injection of wow. The four different versions of the trailer with these technologies creates a far deeper experience of the creative.
Biography
M. Night Shyamalan (born 1970) is an American filmmaker, born in India and raised outside Philadelphia, whose supernatural thrillers — The Sixth Sense (1999), Unbreakable (2000), Signs (2002), Split (2016), Trap (2024) — have grossed more than $3.3 billion worldwide and made the “Shyamalan twist” a household phrase. He earned Academy Award nominations for directing and writing The Sixth Sense, famously self-finances much of his work to keep creative control, and sets nearly everything he makes in and around Philadelphia, where he is a Philadelphia 76ers season-ticket holder.
The knight post
On July 24, 2026 — hours after LeBron James stunned the NBA by signing with the 76ers — Shyamalan welcomed him to Philadelphia with an AI-generated image posted to his official X account: the director in a suit of armor embossed with the Sixers logo, LeBron beside him in a “Phila 6” jersey and crown. The post carried no caption beyond tags for James and the team, and drew over 600,000 views within hours.
The backlash was immediate. Replies filled with dismay — “Just fell to my knees…why the AI,” “Not my goat using AI,” “M NIGHT, DONT USE AI” — and entertainment outlets reported that the post had “quickly angered his biggest fans.” Shyamalan offered no explanation, no apology, and no deletion: the image stayed up.
The post was playful, but his comfort with the technology is not new. At CES 2023, he partnered with Canon on a mixed-reality promotion for Knock at the Cabin in which attendees conversed with AI versions of the film’s villains inside a physical replica of the cabin — an early, willing experiment in putting conversational AI at the center of how audiences meet his stories.
Sources & further reading
- ComingSoon: M. Night Shyamalan Shares Bizarre AI Post That Quickly Angers His Biggest Fans (2026)
- M. Night Shyamalan on X: AI image welcoming LeBron James to the 76ers (2026)
- Forbes: CES 2023 — M. Night Shyamalan Surprises Fans With Immersive “Knock at the Cabin” Experience (2023)
- Philadelphia Inquirer: LeBron James to Philly — Live Updates and Reaction (2026)
Canonical record: https://battlelines.ai/topic/m-night-shyamalan
