The fight against the infiltration of AI is not new, nor is it necessarily surprising. However, it is rapidly becoming more commonplace and prevalent. With the rise of ChatGPT in the workforce (and even in everyday life), and the common practice now in Hollywood of scanning actors’ likenesses to put in a database, the window to put a stop, or at least a hindrance, to AI is rapidly closing.
At the 52nd Saturn Awards on Sunday, Nicolas Cage won for his role in Dream Scenario, and during his acceptance speech, he emphatically spoke out against the use of AI.
“But there is another world that is also disturbing me,” Cage said. “It’s happening right now around all of us: the new AI world. I am a big believer in not letting robots dream for us. Robots cannot reflect the human condition for us. That is a dead end if an actor lets one AI robot manipulate his or her performance even a little bit, an inch will eventually become a mile and all integrity, purity and truth of art will be replaced by financial interests only. We can’t let that happen.”
Hollywood went on strike against AI, but does it matter?
2023 saw historic strikes for both the Writer’s Guild, and SAG-AFTRA, a component of which was the usage of AI. Though both strikes ended with deals that would impede the use of AI, it does not seem like much is being stopped. If anything, people are finding ways around it.
Recently, The Brutalist, a critical darling for the 2025 awards season, came under fire for its use of AI. Film editor Dávid Jancsó, a native Hungarian speaker, used it to enhance the vocal performances of stars Felicity Jones and Adrien Brody. While to some that may not seem like a big deal, it ties back into Cage’s words of “if you give them an inch, they will take a mile.” Sure, for this production it was just vocal performance, but what’s next?
The world right now is grim. People struggle for jobs in all walks of life. In the entertainment industry, which has rapidly become harder over recent years to put your foot in the door if you do not already have connections, AI can be catastrophic to the livelihoods of countless people. One day it’s minor background graphics or vocal performances; the next it’s entire roles, or entire productions, and jobs across the board are eliminated.
While there are safeguards, of course, and the contracts signed and agreed upon following the strikes, we also have to remember the CEOs that run these companies. They want to cut corners as much as possible to save money, and if they can find a loophole, they will.
The Brutalist director Brady Corbet also acknowledged the issues stemming from Jancsó’s revisions, stating: “This was a manual process, done by our sound team and Respeecher in post-production. The aim was to preserve the authenticity of Adrien and Felicity’s performances in another language, not to replace or alter them and done with the utmost respect for the craft.”
There are two sides to this, and in this instance, it could be worse. But if we look at recent films like 2024’s Alien: Romulus, who used generative AI to resurrect a character played by a deceased actor (poorly), where will the line be drawn? AI isn’t something we should sit back and think, Oh, this will work itself out, surely. We should all be cautious, and we should listen when people like Cage, who care deeply for the quality and sanctity of film, sound the alarm.
Published: Feb 4, 2025 12:08 pm