Hollywood filmmakers quietly embrace AI to cut costs

The article highlights a gap between Hollywood's public stance on AI and its private practices. While the 2024 film 'The Brutalist' faced backlash for AI-enhanced accents and architectural drawings, many directors are now exploring AI for cost-effective solutions, such as filling budget gaps or creating previsualization and backdrops. Festival juror Catherine Hardwicke notes that every director she has spoken with recently is curious about AI, reflecting a growing internal interest despite outward criticism.

This quiet adoption is backed by significant corporate moves: A24's $75 million deal with Google, Disney's $1 billion deal with OpenAI, and Netflix's disclosure of AI in about 300 titles. These deals suggest that major studios see AI as a production tool with tangible financial benefits, even as they avoid publicizing the details.

The festival itself, drawing over 3,000 submissions, indicates a vibrant community of AI filmmakers. With figures like Soderbergh, Aronofsky, and Scorsese publicly engaging with AI, the industry may be moving toward a more open embrace, though individual creators still face risks of threats, as seen with finalist Jacopo Reale's experience.