As a huge Timothée Chalamet fan, I feel it is my duty to defend him. I saw “A Complete Unknown” and loved it; I think Chalamet deserves every award he is nominated for. At the same time, I am aware that Adrien Brody is a phenomenal actor, so when I caught wind of the fact that Chalamet might lose Best Actor in a Leading Role at the Academy Awards to Brody, I was willing to accept defeat, even without seeing Brody’s performance in his new hit film, “The Brutalist.” Both actors are immensely talented, having been nominated for and won numerous awards, including the recent Oscar nominations for Best Actor. Yet, after learning about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in “The Brutalist,” I believe Brody should be eliminated from contention.

According to the Hollywood news site Deadline, the director of “The Brutalist,” Brady Corbet, has confirmed that AI was used in post-production to enhance the actors’ Hungarian accents. Corbet also said they worked with a dialect coach for months to “perfect their accents.” If their Hungarian accents were “perfected,” then why would they need to be enhanced in post-production? If the enhancements were used to refine vowels for accuracy, why would it not be called out immediately after shooting a scene? Although I have never been on a movie set or tried to perfect an accent other than my own, please forgive me when I say that it feels a little lazy to me.

In 2023, SAG-AFTRA went on strike for months, wanting better pay and working conditions while also expressing concerns over the use of AI. This raises the question of whether a heavily awarded movie that used AI goes against the purpose of the strike. The use of AI in “The Brutalist” may be minor, but setting the precedent of rewarding productions aided by AI could prove to be impactful to authenticity in Hollywood. Other directors could see this as an open door to use AI more and more, knowing they can still receive awards. It allows other directors and actors to become increasingly lazy, using AI to enhance performances in post-production. I believe this should be nipped in the bud before anyone gets the wrong idea.

I am aware that there are other nominees for Best Actor, not just Chalamet, but I felt the need to address him specifically because of the lack of AI used to make his voice sound more similar to Bob Dylan’s. Chalamet dedicated years of work to his performance, and I would be a little upset if I were him, getting snubbed by an actor who used AI to help with his accent. I believe the knowledge of the AI use alone should be enough for Chalamet to win over Brody.

I would also be a little embarrassed if I were Brody. He is taking recognition and awards away from other actors who did not use AI – I am not saying he worked any less on his performance, but I do not think he should be supporting the use of AI in movies whatsoever. After learning of the AI used, I want to see “The Brutalist” even less. Regarding my views on Brody, I am sure his acting is award-worthy, but having been polluted by AI enhancements, I struggle to see his performance as truly deserving of an Oscar.

I don’t mind so much about the use of AI in this isolated case, especially because the enhancements did not replace an existing performance. My problem lies more with the issues it could bring to films in the future. Once again, if a film that uses any amount of AI is heavily awarded, other directors will have no problem following suit without any regard for the craft. The use of AI in “The Brutalist” sends a bad and lazy message to the industry.