Hiroki Yamaguchi is a Japanese film director, AI creator, and illustrator, recognized for his work across live-action filmmaking and the emerging field of generative AI cinema. Born in Kyoto Prefecture on August 22, 1978, he began making films while a student at Ritsumeikan University, where he served as the 39th head of the university’s film club. His early work in cinema gained attention when his second film, directed at the age of 19, won the Grand Prix at the 2nd Indie Movie Festival in 2000.

Yamaguchi’s career as a feature film director began with his debut theatrical work, Hellevator (titled Gusha no Binzume in Japanese), which was released in 2004. The film received international acclaim, winning the Silver Grand Breaker Award at the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal, and was distributed in North America, South Asia, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Following this success, he became known for directing adaptations of existing properties. Starting in 2013, he directed all installments of the live-action Messiah series, based on the original work by Kadoi Tonbo. He also directed the film adaptations of the cult manga series Bloody Chainsaw Girl, as well as the live-action version of the vocaloid song-inspired work Torinoko City.

In addition to his work in traditional live-action filmmaking, Yamaguchi has established a significant presence in the field of generative AI media. He is the CEO of the company Gaumapix. His AI film Improvement Cycle was officially invited to the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in 2024 and was selected for multiple international AI film festivals. He has also worked as an advisor on generative AI both in Japan and internationally.

Yamaguchi contributed to the anthology film generAIdoscope, a project noted for being among the first theatrical films to utilize generative AI for its images, sound, and music. For this project, he served as the original story creator and director for the segment titled Grandmarebito. This segment, which depicts a battle between a protagonist named Levito and psychic warriors against self-evolving robots called Jiren Machines, was selected for the Seoul International AI Film Festival in 2025. His work in the anthology further established his role as a filmmaker exploring the creative intersection between human storytelling and artificial intelligence technologies.