‘The Brutalist’ Criticised For Its Use of AI

The Brutalist has quickly established itself as an awards-season juggernaut, already racking up impressive accolades, including several Golden Globe wins. Universally praised by critics and audiences (that have managed to see it), the film has become a centerpiece for A24’s awards campaign, with the studio throwing its full weight behind what many consider one of the year’s finest cinematic achievements. With nearly universal appraisal, the film is being hailed as a masterpiece and a testament to the power of visionary storytelling. Directed by Brady Corbet, the film’s meticulously crafted narrative and stunning visuals have captivated audiences, particularly given its remarkably small budget of reportedly only $10 million.

The cast of The Brutalist is nothing short of exceptional, featuring powerhouse performances from Adrien Brody and Guy Pearce, as well as Felicity Jones among others – all three of their performances have already been called award-worthy and have been both nominated and awarded for the movie. The film tells the story of an architect grappling with the personal and artistic struggles of his career, blending intimate drama with a sweeping visual style that belies its modest production costs. The visuals are particularly striking, with a hauntingly beautiful aesthetic that perfectly complements the film’s emotional depth and thematic richness.

As A24’s flagship contender this awards season, The Brutalist has already cemented its place in the cultural conversation, seemingly resonating with many of the guilds and award boards across the world. Its success underscores the power of bold, auteur-driven storytelling and serves as a testament to the creative heights that can be achieved even with constrained resources. 

However, one of the ways that they have maintained this small budget is by utilising publicly available tools and taking advantage of one of the biggest growing ones – AI, specifically Generative AI, which is famously critiqued due to the way it functions, which is by learning from already existing art created by real artists and replicating and crafting these into something new.

In a new interview with editor Dávid Jancsó for RedSharkNews, he revealed that AI was used for two parts of the production process on the film: for assisting in helping the actors sound more Hungarian with AI enhancements to their voice, and using it to create an entire scene towards the end of the movie to showcase a variety of drawings.

“Tweaks were needed to enhance specific letters of their vocal sounds. “If you’re coming from the Anglo-Saxon world certain sounds can be particularly hard to grasp. We first tried to ADR these harder elements with the actors. Then we tried to ADR them completely with other actors but that just didn’t work. So we looked for other options of how to enhance it.” Brody and Jones were fully onboard with the process guided by Respeecher which started with recording their voices to drive the AI Hungarian delivery. Jancsó also fed his voice into the AI model to finesse the tricky dialect.” 

This use of AI is actually often favoured, as it is truly used as a tool and a way of just enhancing what already exists. It also helps that it was approved by both actors, so it takes work already created by the artists involved and enhances their work with their approval. 

On the other hand, Generative AI is used to entirely create a sequence towards the end of the movie.

“GenAI is also used right at the end of the film in a sequence at the Venice Biennale to conjure a series of architectural drawings and finished buildings in the style of the fictional architect.” 

Many people have already argued that relying on generative AI for such an important moment in The Brutalist diminishes the craftsmanship and human creativity that audiences expect in a film centered on architecture, considering that it involves a field deeply rooted in artistic vision and individuality. The use of AI here has sparked debates about the ethics of automation in art and cinema, particularly as it pertains to projects that pride themselves on being deeply personal or auteur-driven.

Adding fuel to the fire, the proud claims of a low budget now feel disingenuous, as it was not achieved by creative ingenuity as implied but rather morally dubious shortcuts. However, the reliance on AI shortcuts now casts that achievement in a different light, with many seeing it as a cost-cutting measure that compromises the film’s authenticity. For a movie centered on an architect’s vision and legacy, the use of AI to simulate the protagonist’s creations feels antithetical to the story’s core themes and message.

This controversy highlights the growing unease about AI’s role in creative industries, with many fearing it could erode traditional artistry. While The Brutalist continues to be beloved and eagerly awaited as we approach its wide release, its decision to incorporate generative AI has sparked important conversations about the balance between innovation and preserving the human touch in cinema, leaving some questioning the film’s ultimate legacy.

The Brutalist is directed by Brady Corbet and stars Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Joe Alwyn, Raffey Cassidy and Guy Pearce. Nick Gordon, D.J. Gugenheim, Brian Young, Andrew Lauren, Trevor Matthews, Andrew Morrison are producing.

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