Artificial Intelligence (AI) is swiftly integrating into the norms and functions of everyday society. Whether being used to generate images, voice or text, there is no denying that this generation is living through truly historical times. A technological revolution that will be sure to shape decades, even centuries to come!
The debate surrounding AI’s role in the creative world has intensified, particularly after its use in the Golden Globe-winning film The Brutalist, starring Adrian Brody. After winning “Best Motion Picture – Drama”, editor David Jancso revealed in a January 2025 interview with RedShark News that AI was used to refine the Hungarian pronunciation of the actors. The software, developed by Ukrainian company Respeecher, creates a database of a person’s language and accent, allowing actors to perform lines while altering their voice to fit another language. Jancso, a Hungarian speaker, argued that the AI merely helped actors with difficult sounds, stating in the interview that the language is a Uralic language, including elements of Finnish and Estonian, making it linguistically complex to learn. He continued his argument by drawing attention to the fact that many of its sounds are even more demanding to Anglo-Saxon speakers in particular, and it wouldn’t matter how talented an actor was. Additionally, he emphasised that both Brody and co-star Felicity Jones were aware of its use and defended the use of the software, noting that it streamlined the production process for a film with a modest budget of $10 million. This innovative approach sparked discussions about the balance between AI assistance and creative integrity in filmmaking.
While there has been a lot of pushback on the film’s use of AI, interestingly, it is not the first film to utilise AI tools in its production. The Ukrainian company is also credited with restoring Darth Vader’s voice for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, recreating the voice of French singer Édith Piaf to “narrate” her own biopic, and to enhance Karla Sofía Gascón’s singing voice in the film musical Emilia Pérez. However, just because other production companies have used AI, this does not justify its use. For me, it highlights the growing dangers of more and more production companies resorting to potential AI shortcuts.
While there has been a significant focus on the speech enhancement element in The Brutalist, there is another aspect in which AI was employed. Here things seem to be less clear regarding the extent of the AI’s involvement. It has come to light that the architectural drawings and finished buildings featured in the Venice Biennale sequence were created by AI. Jancso confirmed this but did not provide a clear answer regarding which AI tool was used or whether the drawings were completely AI-generated. One has to wonder, therefore: to what extent was AI used in this award-winning film and should it even have been given these prestigious awards if AI was integral in production?
Clearly, the film industry is engaged in a significant debate over the use of AI technology in the making of films. Even the Academy of Motion Picture Arts, who awards the Oscars, have recognised how tense and complex the matter is and are considering putting forward a new rule that all films and nominees must disclose any use of AI. Supporters, like Jancso, claim it improves accuracy and saves time and money, even going so far as to say in his interview with RedShark News that “it is controversial in the industry to talk about AI, but it shouldn’t be”. However, many, including myself, are concerned that relying on AI poses risks. History shows that technology can be misused, and there are fears that companies might use AI for sets, music, and even to replace background actors. This undoubtably would diminish the humanity and originality of films and talented and creative workers would miss out on jobs. Although it is now too late to prevent AI being used in films, we can, however, bring the stigma of its use to the fore and thus hopefully limit future filmmakers’ reliance on it.