The Brutalist’s AI controversy sparks heated ethical debate

Brady Corbet's period drama The Brutalist was highly anticipated by film and architecture fans alike, bringing the promise of a powerful tale inspired by history and heritage. Since its release, the film has been criticised for its use of AI augmentation, and while the director defends its usage, it calls forth an important ethical debate about the use of AI in filmmaking.

It's no secret that AI productivity tools are becoming widely used across all industries, yet in creative sectors, AI remains a highly controversial topic. While The Brutalist's integration of AI technology is markedly considered, critics fear that it may be the tip of the iceberg, ushering in a new era of synthetic AI embellishment.

In an enlightening interview with Red Shark News, editor Dávid Jancsó discusses the film's "subtle and sensitive use of AI," including voice editing and specific background drawings. To refine the Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones' Hungarian dialect, the team used AI technology from Respeecher, making tweaks to vocal sounds and intonations to maximise authenticity. "We were very careful about keeping their performances. It's mainly just replacing letters here and there," David says.

A series of architectural drawings created in the style of the fictional architect was created using Gen AI, a detail that some fans strongly criticised. "They used AI in The Brutalist not only to avoid paying visual artists for their work but also to manipulate the actors’ accents, a fundamental aspect of… acting. this is a disgrace," one X user claimed. "The use of generative AI visuals honestly feels like it spits in the face of the themes of a movie about art and architecture and the human condition," another added.

Despite heated critique, director Brady Corbet defended the film's use of AI, responding in a statement to Variety "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." Regarding the AI imagery, Brady says: “Judy Becker and her team did not use AI to create or render any of the buildings. All images were hand-drawn by artists. To clarify, in the memorial video featured in the background of a shot, our editorial team created pictures intentionally designed to look like poor digital renderings circa 1980.”

Whether or not you agree with The Brutalist's use of AI, the irony of its use in a film centred around human artistry is hard to ignore. While the film's AI use was arguably considered and sparse, in the wake of SAG-AFTRA strikes and open letters protesting 'unethical' AI usage, it seems there will always be uncomfortable tension around the future of AI in filmmaking. As X user @alirichthem notes, a surprising number of popular films have utilised Respeecher's AI tools. While AI tools will likely continue to be integrated into creative practice, The Brutalist's transparency is a positive step in demystifying the perceived threat of AI in filmmaking.