Is the global film industry warming up for AI?

For months, the film industry has been locked in an ongoing battle over the role of artificial intelligence in filmmaking. The industry was embroiled in a heated debate: the use of AI to alter voice performances. Warming up for AI?

The uproar focused on Emilia Pérez, where AI was employed to enhance Gascón’s singing, and Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, which utilized AI to refine Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones’ pronunciation of Hungarian dialogue.

The intense backlash over these relatively minor and artist-approved AI applications underscores the broader anxiety within the entertainment industry. Many perceive AI as a direct threat to employment and artistic authenticity. Celebrities are increasingly adopting a rigid stance against AI, with figures like Robert Downey Jr., Glenn Close, and Hank Azaria voicing their concerns, suggests the Hollywood Reporter. 

In response, film industry distributors have started labeling their productions with “no AI” badges—akin to the ethical assurance of “no animals were harmed” in a film’s making. Meanwhile, Adam Elliot’s stop-motion film Memoir of a Snail (an Oscar nominee this year) includes a “made by humans” credit that consistently receives applause. However, behind the public outcry, a shift is beginning to emerge—one that sees AI as a potential asset rather than an industry villain.

Excitement in the Film Industry

“There’s an incredible undercurrent of excitement coming from a lot of filmmakers and artists right now about what these new tools, if used correctly, can do,” says Scott Mann, co-founder and co-CEO of Flawless, a Los Angeles-based AI company specializing in foreign-language dubbing. “But people are scared to talk about it because of what happened with The Brutalist.”

Flawless collaborated with German director Tom Tykwer on The Light, the opening film at the 75th Berlinale, employing its “immersive dubbing” AI technology to create an English-language version. While Berlinale audiences will watch the original German edition, North American distributors will have access to Flawless’ AI-dubbed version.

Flawless and XYZ Films have acquired the English-dubbed rights and will offer them at Berlin’s European Film Market. Unlike traditional dubbing, which modifies translated dialogue to match lip movements, Flawless’ AI technology adjusts the actors’ lip movements to sync with new dialogue, preserving the authenticity of performances.

This approach differs from “voice cloning” techniques used in The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez, where Ukrainian AI firm Respeecher digitally transformed actors’ voices—allowing Gascón to hit higher notes and Brody to better pronounce Hungarian sounds.

Flawless aims to broaden the global reach of international films, particularly those with mainstream appeal. Indie distributor XYZ Films (The Raid, BlackBerry) is launching a slate of AI-dubbed international films in the U.S., beginning with the Swedish sci-fi thriller Watch the Skies, followed by Vincent Must Die (France) and Smugglers (South Korea).

“The filmmakers are thrilled because it means their movies, which would never have gotten a U.S. theatrical release, are going to be seen more widely,” says Mann.

To ensure ethical AI use, Flawless has agreements with SAG-AFTRA. In a January 21 speech at Davos, SAG-AFTRA’s lead negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland even mentioned the company as an example of AI “designed to serve human creativity, not replace it.”

“The studios should be developing this tech and its implementation in the industry alongside the talent unions,” argues David McClafferty, a former Netflix dubbing producer. “Studio transparency, not only with talent, but also with the audience [is essential].

Outside of Hollywood, AI-driven localization is being embraced as a cost-effective way to adapt films for global markets. Argentina’s The Witch Game used AI to replicate its original Spanish-language performances in English for release in the U.S. and U.K.

Meanwhile, the Polish film Putin, a political biopic about the Russian leader, used AI to superimpose Vladimir Putin’s face onto an actor with a similar physique. The film has been a major seller, securing deals in over 60 countries. “Overall, buyers responded positively to the AI aspect in Putin,” says Kinostar managing director Michael Roesch. “When we first released the trailers, many were astonished at how closely the Putin in the film resembled the real Putin. This was definitely a selling point for us.”

AI has already become an industry standard for dubbing and subtitling, particularly in the fast-paced indie and genre markets. This surge in demand has given rise to new AI dubbing companies like DeepDub, DubFormer, ElevenLabs, and Papercup, each using variations of similar technologies.

Despite AI’s advantages, concerns remain over job losses and a possible decline in creative quality. “Left to their own devices, upper management would implement AI for dubbing from top to bottom and take their chances with the inevitable pushback. Because for them, shareholders take precedence over art,” warns Debra Chin, a former Netflix localization executive.

McClafferty takes a more balanced view. “I believe in an industry with ethical AI alongside talent,” he says. “Localization is peanuts compared to the wider industry, but localization is at the tip of the spear of this tech, and the unions may use localization as a bellwether of how the studios will attempt to implement AI tech overall.”

As Hollywood grapples with economic struggles and creative stagnation, many are reconsidering AI’s role—not as an existential threat, but as a potential force for innovation.

“Fears over AI, combined with the industry’s current pains, are the real problem,” says Mann. “The best our industry has ever done is when it embraces technology responsibly. AI should be consent-driven, copyrightable, and artist-focused—so creators can do more, take risks and bring originality back. It’s time for a more nuanced conversation, not just making AI the villain.”