Artificial Intelligence has been used as a tool for decades, but its recent application in movies is unethical for the future of film.
With the constant mishandling of AI in the film industry, general audiences have adopted a wary outlook on the technology, and rightfully so. One of the most topical concerns right now is in correlation with vocal performances, using Respeecher, particularly in Adrien Brody’s performance in the film “The Brutalist”.
Respeecher is a software company that specializes in voice cloning, used most notably in the movie “Bohemian Rhapsody” to assist actor Rami Malek in his portrayal as Freddie Mercury, which he won an Oscar for. Unlike Brody however, Malek didn’t catch fire for his win.
I believe this is because Malek played a singer and AI has become commonplace in musical biopics.
In situations like this I believe the use of AI is justified. It isn’t altering an actor’s actual performance, only isolating lyrics so they can lip-sync.
The reason I don’t think Brody should’ve won is because he’s playing an actual character. The AI in “The Brutalist” was used specifically on Brody’s Hungarian accent to refine certain letters and vowels, which makes up a big part of his overall performance. As an actor it’s your job to act to the best of your ability without modification, and Brody couldn’t accomplish that.
When asked about this issue, Millikan Drama teacher Mike Bradecich said, “In terms of changing the words an actor is saying or the delivery of a line, that’s where it starts to get scary. I think like any tool, [AI] depends on how it’s used.”
COMPASS freshman and theatre student Mia Ulangca is firmly against the technology, saying “Performing is raw. The whole point is that it’s authentic. If you’re going to perform you have to give it all your best.”
AI shouldn’t be something we fear, but it also shouldn’t be so regularly misused in the process of creating art. It isn’t too late as a society to set boundaries with this technology, and conduct research before we decide what projects to support.
Anthony Torres • Apr 21, 2025 at 3:54 pm
Dear Corydon Editor,
On April 2, 2025, Nicole Daigle wrote an article titled “The Surge of AI in Movies”. Daigle goes in-depth with the use of AI in film controversy and how far it can go. She uses “The Brutalist” and its use of AI to make Adrien Brody’s Hungarian sound more authentic. Daigle explains how this ruins the art of acting and makes the effort and humanity of a performance fade away for an easier and less effortful use of AI.
I find myself agreeing with Daigle’s arguments. The fact of using AI to enhance performance takes art and humanity away from it. This is especially frightening since Brody won an Oscar for his performance, and it glorifies this new tool. I share the sentiment of Daigle’s peers that AI can help in other fields of film, but when it comes to the actual art, like writing, directing, acting, and so forth, it can become threatening to this art.
The one thing that I don’t agree with is the acceptance of AI to improve an actor’s singing. Like acting, the singing aspect is part of the performance, and if the actor cannot deliver, they should resort to AI. It robs roles away from upcoming stars that can both act and sing in favor of a well-known or better actor.
Sincerely,
Anthony Torres
Isabel Tapia • Apr 10, 2025 at 10:10 pm
On April 2, 2025, Nicole Daigle wrote an article titled “The Surge of AI in Movies.”Diagle’s main idea is to highlight the controversy of AI usage in movies. Over the past year AI has been on the uprise and from what I’ve seen is that it can either be silly or just plain out wrong. I understand that now it is something we will have to grow to live with but there is always a limit to things. Diagle compares the usage of AI for music-based films, such as Bohemian Rhapsody, to the use of AI to alter the voice of an actor. Diagle included the point of view from the Millikan Drama teacher Mike Bradecich. In which he expressed how AI can be frightening especially when it is used for the wrong reasons. AI is definitely a touchy subject at this moment in time. Many misuse it for immoral purposes. I don’t blame some of them especially if it benefits them positively for the most part. However, art is not something I believe should be created using AI, including films. Art is natural and the reason it is art is because it comes from the human mind. All in all, Diagle’s overall presentation of this current issue is real and captivates the audience to highlight modern day controversy.
Payton Kelly • Apr 10, 2025 at 3:33 pm
On April 2, 2025, staff reporter Nicole Daigle released “The Surge of AI in Movies”, an article that briefly covers the usage of AI voice-hindering technology in the film industry. Prior to discovering this article, I was unaware that AI was being utilized in certain films for the purpose of refining vocal performances. This article was engaging, and held my interest until the end. However, I wish this particular article was longer and covered the usage of AI in movies more in depth. For reference, the title implies that more aspects of the usage of AI in movies will be covered, not solely a focus on vocal performances. It leaves me wondering if Artificial Intelligence is being utilized in other mannerisms, such as for visual effects or animation. However, the report on vocal performance hindering and the provided examples were nevertheless engaging and well-written.
The comparison between the two different scenarios assists the audience in viewing real scenarios of how AI is actually being applied, and the reasoning behind it. However, I fail to see the difference between the justifications in using AI technology for vocal performances in portraying a singer–as Rami Malek did, and the technology used to refine Adrien Brody’s Hungarian accent. Portraying an accent, as well as the delivery of a musical performance are considerably equal parts of an actor’s role. I think if the argument was developed a little more, it would assist in clearing up any loose-ends or interpretations such as mine. Overall, this article was a fun and relevant read, and I would love to see more related articles.
Payton • Apr 10, 2025 at 10:04 am
On April 2, 2025, Nicole Daigle, a Staff Reporter for Millikan High School, wrote the article “The Surge of AI in Movies.” In this article, Nicole explores the upcoming influence of AI in films and the constant misuse of it in the industry. I admire how Nicole expresses the concern of using AI to enhance an actor’s performance, which takes away from the point of acting. Further, I believe that using AI as an enhancer, rather than a tool, messes with awards and recognition of actors. Nicole does an excellent job diving into information about AI and creating issues with performance enhancement/recognition. I agree that we shouldn’t shy away from AI, but rather develop boundaries of its usage within our society, before it’s too late. I wonder what other films have used AI to enhance an actor’s performance, rather than being used as a tool to enhance the production. Another question I have is what place AI should have within the film industry. Overall, I believe that Nicole’s coverage of AI and its usage in the film industry was informative and enticing.
Jackson Burns • Apr 10, 2025 at 10:02 am
On April 2, 2025 Nicole Daigle wrote an article titled “The surge of AI in Movies”. Daigle properly highlights the misuse of AI in the recent award winning movie “The Brutalist” in which Adrien Brody’s accent was manipulated with AI technology. Daigle provides two instances in which AI was used to enhance a movie in which they also provide the upsides and downsides of AI in movies. I agree with Daigle’s stance on the AI used in “Bohemian Rhapsody” because it makes sense to manipulate an actor’s voice to sound like a singer especially when it’s a movie about the singer. Dailge illustrates the problems with using AI in Adrien Brody’s case because it was used to enhance the delivery of lines and improved the authenticity of his character’s accent. Daigle also points out how Brody won an award for. Daigle bringing to light these issues will hopefully bring others attention to the false promise some actors may bring when performing if they are using AI to better their appearance as a certain character. In all, Nicole Diagles article properly shows the upsides, downsides, and ethical concerns with AI being used in movies.