The Brutalist, the critically acclaimed three-hour epic starring Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones, has become embroiled in an AI controversy just days before the 2025 Oscar nominations announcement. The film, which has already won three Golden Globes including Best Picture Drama, is facing backlash after editor Dávid Jancsó revealed the production used AI technology to refine the Hungarian accents of its lead actors.
In an interview with Red Shark News, Jancsó explained that the team used Respeecher, a Ukrainian AI software company, to perfect minute pronunciation details in Brody and Jones’ Hungarian dialogue. The actors, who play Hungarian Jews fleeing post-World War II Europe, received extensive dialect coaching and delivered “fabulous” performances. However, because Hungarian is notoriously difficult to pronounce, the filmmakers wanted to ensure “not even locals will spot any difference.” The AI process involved feeding the actors’ voices into Respeecher along with Jancsó’s native Hungarian voice to fine-tune specific letters and vowels.
The editor also revealed that generative AI was used to create architectural drawings and building renderings in the film’s final sequence, designed to match the style of Brody’s fictional architect character, László Tóth. Jancsó defended the decision, stating that AI “just makes the process a lot faster” and helped create “tiny little details that we didn’t have the money or the time to shoot.”
The revelation sparked immediate backlash on social media, with some fans calling for the film or Brody to be disqualified from Oscar consideration. Director Brady Corbet quickly responded with a statement clarifying that the actors’ performances remain “completely their own” and that Respeecher was used only for “Hungarian language dialogue editing” to “refine certain vowels and letters for accuracy.” He emphasized that no English dialogue was altered and that the buildings were hand-drawn, not AI-generated.
The Brutalist isn’t alone in using AI technology. Emilia Pérez, another awards season contender, also used Respeecher’s software, reportedly to help actress Karla Sofia Gascón sing beyond her vocal range. Other 2024 films including Civil War, Furiosa, Alien: Romulus, and Late Night With the Devil faced similar criticism for AI usage. The controversy highlights the ongoing tension in Hollywood over AI technology, which was a major issue during the 2023 writers and actors strikes.
Key Quotes
We were very careful about keeping their performances. It’s mainly just replacing letters here and there.
Editor Dávid Jancsó explained the limited scope of AI usage in refining the actors’ Hungarian pronunciation, attempting to reassure critics that the technology enhanced rather than replaced human performances.
Innovative Respeecher technology was used in Hungarian language dialogue editing only, specifically to refine certain vowels and letters for accuracy. No English language was changed.
Director Brady Corbet issued this clarification in response to the backlash, emphasizing that AI was used minimally and that the actors’ performances remain authentic and unaltered.
There’s nothing in the film using AI that hasn’t been done before. It just makes the process a lot faster.
Jancsó defended the AI usage by comparing it to traditional filmmaking techniques, arguing that the technology simply accelerates processes that would have been done manually, though this argument failed to satisfy critics concerned about AI’s expanding role in creative work.
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.
Corbet’s statement attempted to frame AI usage as a tool for preserving artistic integrity rather than compromising it, positioning the technology as serving the actors’ original intentions rather than overriding them.
Our Take
This controversy reveals the entertainment industry’s unresolved tension between technological pragmatism and artistic purity. While Corbet and Jancsó present compelling arguments about AI as a refinement tool—similar to color correction or sound mixing—the backlash suggests audiences and industry professionals draw distinctions between traditional post-production techniques and AI intervention, particularly when it affects human performances.
The timing is particularly revealing: Respeecher’s growing client list among prestige films indicates AI voice technology has already become normalized in high-budget productions, yet public disclosure still triggers controversy. This suggests a transparency gap where industry insiders view these tools as standard practice while audiences remain uncomfortable with their use. The outcome of The Brutalist’s awards prospects may establish important precedents about whether AI-assisted films face competitive disadvantages, potentially influencing future disclosure practices and the development of industry standards for AI usage in creative contexts.
Why This Matters
This controversy represents a critical inflection point for AI adoption in filmmaking and the entertainment industry’s struggle to define acceptable boundaries for the technology. The timing—just before Oscar nominations—amplifies its significance, potentially influencing how Academy voters perceive AI-assisted productions and whether such usage should affect awards eligibility.
The debate extends beyond one film, reflecting broader anxieties about AI’s role in creative industries that fueled the 2023 Hollywood strikes. While AI tools like Respeecher promise efficiency and cost savings for filmmakers, they raise fundamental questions about artistic authenticity, labor displacement, and what constitutes a “genuine” performance. The fact that multiple award-season contenders used similar technology suggests AI integration in film production is accelerating faster than industry standards can keep pace.
For the AI industry, this controversy demonstrates how even limited, targeted AI applications can trigger significant backlash when deployed in creative contexts. It underscores the importance of transparency and the need for clear guidelines about AI disclosure in artistic works. The outcome of this debate could establish precedents affecting how AI tools are marketed, regulated, and accepted across creative industries beyond film.
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