One of Hollywood’s biggest appeals has always been seeing the passionate performances of both A-list actors and rising stars that the public comes to know and love. However, this part of the movie-watching experience may go through some changes with the rising use of Artificial Intelligence.
While AI has helped with time-consuming parts of film production like computer animation and more, this technology raises concerns in the eyes of the public. These concerns have been brought to light by last year’s Hollywood actor strike, and more recently, the 2025 Oscars nominees and winners. It has caused many to ask: Where should the lines for AI usage in film be drawn?
The 2023 Hollywood strike.
In May 2023, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) went on a 118-day strike regarding AI in film. More specifically, the actors and writers sought protection of their rights against digital replicas created using AI.
Going against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the strike demanded protection against any replicas of performers being distributed, consent and pay becoming necessary for replicas to be used, and protection of performers’ image. These concerns stemmed from there being no legislation in place to protect people against fabricated AI content that could tarnish their image.
On the flip side, the AMPTP stood with their belief that the use of digital replicas of actors should continue to be allowed. They wanted the freedom to change key aspects of actors’ performances using AI for training purposes without having to ask for consent or give compensation.
The strike ended with a tentative agreement set to expire June 30, 2026, with SAG-AFTRA achieving provisions such as compensation and benefit plan funding, official consent guardrails for protection against AI, and more.
Despite the immense struggle these actors and writers faced to be heard, the controversy surrounding AI technology and its place in the industry continued through this award season.
2025 Academy Awards controversy.
The public has been shown time and time again how much hard work actors put into making their performances authentic. Just one example this year was Mikey Madison’s dedication for the movie Anora, where she learned Russian, went through coaching to perfect the Brighton Beach accent, and practiced pole dancing for 3 months. Her phenomenal work led her to win Best Actress at this year’s Academy Awards.
Meanwhile, controversy sparked with two other films nominated this season, “The Brutalist” and “Emilia Perez,” as both implemented AI technology amidst all the discourse over digital replicas.
In the case of “The Brutalist,” editor Dávid Jancsó admitted to using AI voice-generation technology for some minor fixes with Adrien Brody and other actors’ Hungarian pronunciations. With “Emilia Perez,” the same AI technology was utilized to help actress Karla Sofía Gascón with singing higher notes.
While its use was mainly for post-production purposes, audiences had mixed opinions on whether the actors aided by AI technology deserved nominations alongside actors who didn’t have that experience.
The debate over AI in film.
For those who disapprove of AI being normalized in actors’ performances, one of the biggest disappointments is that movies will lack the authenticity that comes with seeing an actor pour their heart and soul into their art. While audiences don’t expect for workers to face harm in preparation for a film, seeing an actor’s raw passion makes movie-watching what it is today.
There is also the concern that AI will add onto the difficult process for up-and-coming performers or animators to find jobs. With such powerful technologies at the hands of these companies, the idea of an unemployment crisis of real talent in the industry isn’t far-fetched. Rather than using AI for actors who may not be able to perfect a dialect or hit certain notes, there are performers out there who are more than capable of this that might have been in need of a job.
On the other side of this debate, it is argued that the tweaks that have been made with the help of AI aren’t what the entire performances depend on, and that edits in post-production have always had to be done. In addition to this, it’s a cheaper option in many cases, which is hard for companies to say no to.
Many bring up the point that films in the past have manipulated singing portrayed on screen by blending different voices together to perfect it in post-production. However, it’s difficult to compare the two as these prior examples have all involved other human voices, not Artificial Intelligence.
The emergence of AI in film will continue to shape the future of the industry, as well as sparking more debates over the ethics of its usage. While AI has been helpful in post-production, it has caused many to question how we are celebrating these films and actors’ performances. Adding on the discourse over performers’ rights and the concerns over job displacement, this is just the beginning of an important conversation that will continue as AI advances and develops.