‘The Brutalist’ has come under fire for use of AI. But is it really that big of a deal?

CNN — When movie editor Dávid Jancsó admitted that he had used AI to change some parts of actors’ voices in new film “The Brutalist,” he sparked an impassioned online debate about the impact of technology on the arts. “This is currently the kind of work done by visual effects houses that require large teams and hours of labour, and which AI will be able to produce cheaper and quicker.” This chimes with Jancsó’s comments about his motivations for using AI in “The Brutalist,” which tells the story of Hungarian-Jewish architect László Tóth, played by Adrien Brody, who moved to the US after surviving the Holocaust and is awaiting the arrival of his wife Erzsébet. Adrien Brody in “The Brutalist” Courtesy of A24 Jancsó, a native Hungarian speaker, said he had used an AI tool from Ukrainian firm Respeecher to make the lead actors’ Hungarian dialogue sound authentic. “On an industry level, there is concern about the use of AI replacing creative talent at the lower levels of production, which was reflected in recent industrial action such as the SAG and WGA strikes,” said Heaton, who also highlighted the use of digital doubles instead of paid actors and increasingly realistic text-to-speech AI that can replace voiceover actors.