I recently saw a clip from an interview done by Variety with Mathew McConaughey and Timothee Chalamet where they were discussing AI and how it will affect the film industry. McConaughey brought up an interesting point, saying that the effects of AI in film were always inevitable and it has already affected the industry. He goes on, saying that it could become its own category at the Oscars, or it could become its own genre of film. But, could it just slowly take over the film industry as a whole? It’s not something that’s easy to avoid using, because it’s too cheap, easy, and efficient for studios to not take advantage of. 

As a wannabe filmmaker, this message struck me. Is Hollywood really doomed to succumb to the temptation of AI?

AI has already been used in film. In The Brutalist (2024), it was used to tweak Adrien Brody’s accent so it was more accurate. He ended up winning Best Actor at the Oscars even though it had been used to refine his voice. Brody beat actors like Sebastian Stan, who played against type by portraying Donald Trump in the biopic The Apprentice (2024).

Raymond Davin, ‘28, agrees with McConaughey’s statement about AI becoming a category at the Oscars. He says that he “could see AI as a category, [but] never a genre.” AI won’t just affect film, but it’ll affect other artforms. Why go through the process of taking pictures of landscapes or painting on a canvas when you can just type on a computer and it can generate art in seconds? It’s easier, quicker, and takes a lot less time to make. Logan Harrington, ‘27,  claims that AI “will try [to be realistic], but the lack of quality and inability to create anything meaningful will not allow it to.” He went on to bring up an interesting idea that “it might become a soap-opera-like thing,” where it becomes low-quality, mindless media that never becomes mainstream. There is a huge lack of emotion and connection to these AI films. Only humans can recreate human emotion; no robot could ever pretend to have as much heart as some films that humans have made.

Movie theatres have already made AI short films, like Thanksgiving Day (2026), that they show before the movies in select locations. It has gotten serious backlash from moviegoers and has since been pulled from all theatres. The majority of people seem to dislike the idea that AI could take over the number of jobs that it could. Boycotting these films could really make an impact and show studios that people don’t want them. There are also many people who want to become actors, but AI could take that chance away from them.

But is there any way for AI to replace actors? There is a video on the internet that shows Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting each other and was said to be leaked footage from an unnamed film. This was quickly confirmed to not be from an upcoming movie and instead to be AI, but many people believed it to be real. AI is already good enough to fool most people into thinking it’s real footage; what’s stopping Hollywood from making these films? 

Luckily, SAG-AFTRA and other groups in film are combating this issue. SAG-AFTRA is made up of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. According to their official website they, “[fight] for and [secure] the strongest protections for media artists.” They are trying to put restrictions on AI and its uses. This new generation will need to find a way to wisely integrate this technology without allowing it to take over everything. The sad truth is that AI in film is inevitable. But as long as this new generation of actors and producers manage it correctly and place limits on it, film will not be overrun by it. If anything, AI will primarily be used to cut some costs and labor with things such as posters, trailers, and editing, but hopefully it will not take over Hollywood completely.